1 Samuel 20
1 Then David fled from the dwellings at Ramah, and came before Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"
And David fled from Naioth by Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity, and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeks my life?
2 He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die. Look, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."
And he said to him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, and not apprise me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
3 And David answered and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:' but truly as YHWH lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."
And David swore again and again, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found favour in thy sight: and he has thought, Jonathan shall not know this, lest he be grieved; but truly [as] Jehovah liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
4 Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will do for you."
And Jonathan said to David, What thy soul may say, I will even do it for thee.
5 So David said to Jonathan, "Look, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. Instead, let me go so that I may hide myself in the field until evening.
And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.
6 If your father missed me at all, then say, 'David urgently requested of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city, for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.'
If thy father should actually miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
7 If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.
If he say thus, It is well, — thy servant shall have peace; but if he be very wroth, be sure that evil is determined by him.
8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of YHWH with you: but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"
Deal kindly then with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee; but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
9 Jonathan said, "Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn't I tell you that?"
And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for, if I knew with certainty that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, would I not tell it thee?
10 Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"
Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?
11 Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field.
And Jonathan said to David, Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, "YHWH, the God of Israel, is witness. When I have studied my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, look, if there is good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you?
And Jonathan said to David, Jehovah, God of Israel, when I sound my father about this time to-morrow, [or] the next day, and behold, there be good toward David, and I then send not to thee, and apprise thee of it,
13 But should it please my father to do you harm, God do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not let you know and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may YHWH be with you, as he has been with my father.
Jehovah do so and much more to Jonathan. Should it please my father [to do] thee evil, then I will apprise thee of it, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and Jehovah be with thee, as he has been with my father.
14 And if I am still alive, deal loyally with me. But if I die,
And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of Jehovah, that I die not,
15 do not cut off your loyalty from my house forever. And when YHWH cuts off the enemies of David, each one from the face of the earth,
but thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever, no, not when Jehovah cuts off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth.
16 if the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David, then may YHWH require it at the hand of the enemies of David."
And Jonathan made [a covenant] with the house of David, [saying, ] Let Jehovah even require [it] at the hand of David's enemies!
17 And Jonathan swore to David again, because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, by the love he had for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
And Jonathan said to him, To-morrow is the new moon; and thou wilt be missed, for thy seat will be empty;
19 On the third day you should go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and stay by that mound.
but on the third day thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the business, and abide by the stone Ezel.
20 And as for me, on the third day I will shoot arrows to its side, aiming it toward a target.
And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
21 Look, I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I tell the boy, 'Look, the arrow is on this side of you. Take it;' then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as YHWH lives.
And behold, I will send the lad, [saying, ] Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come, for there is peace for thee, and it is nothing; [as] Jehovah liveth.
22 But if I say this to the boy, 'Look, the arrow is beyond you;' then go your way; for YHWH has sent you away.
But if I say thus to the youth: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, — go thy way; for Jehovah sends thee away.
23 Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, look, YHWH is a witness between you and me forever."
And as to the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between me and thee for ever.
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon had come, the king sat at the table to eat.
And David hid himself in the field; and it was the new moon, and the king sat at table to eat.
25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty.
And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.
26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day: for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean."
And Saul said nothing that day; for he thought, Something has befallen [him], that he is not clean: surely he is not clean.
27 It happened on the next day after the new moon, the second day, that David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the table, either yesterday or today?"
And it came to pass the next day after the new moon, the second [day of the month], as David's place was empty, that Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to table, neither yesterday nor to-day?
28 Jonathan answered Saul, and said, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me [to go] to Bethlehem,
29 He said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. And as for me, my brothers have ordered me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table."
and said, Let me go, I pray thee; for we have a family sacrifice in the city; and my brother himself has commanded me [to be there]; and now, if I have found favour in thy sight, let me go away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. He has therefore not come to the king's table.
30 Then Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a rebellious slave girl, don't I know that you are the companion of the son of Jesse, to your own disgrace, and to the disgrace of your mother's nakedness?
And Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame and to the shame of thy mother's nakedness?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, your kingdom will not be established. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die."
For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. And now send and fetch him to me, for he must die.
32 But Jonathan answered Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why should he be put to death? what has he done?
33 Then Saul threw his spear at him to strike him, and Jonathan realized that this evil from his father to kill David was determined.
Then Saul cast the spear at him to smite him; and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death.
34 So Jonathan sprang up from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had dishonored him.
And Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no meat the second day of the new moon; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
35 It happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.
And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field, to the place agreed on with David, and a little lad with him.
36 He said to the boy, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow, causing it to pass beyond, toward the city.
And he said to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. The lad ran, and he shot the arrow beyond him.
37 When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the youth, and said, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?"
And when the lad came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad and said, Is not the arrow away beyond thee?
38 Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast. Hurry. Do not delay." Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not! And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39 But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
And the lad knew nothing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."
And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city.
41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose from beside the mound, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most.
The lad went, and David arose from the side of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times; and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
42 Then Jonathan said, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of YHWH, saying, 'YHWH shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.'" He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have both of us sworn in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever! And he arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.
