1 Samuel 20
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks to take my life?”
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?"
2 Jonathan said to David, “Far from it; you will not die. My father does nothing either great or small without telling it to me. Why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.”
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."
3 Yet David vowed again and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes. He has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But as truly as Yahweh lives, and as you live, there is but a step between me and death.”
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."
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will do for you."
5 David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, so that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at evening.
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.
6 If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; because it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.'
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.'
7 If he says, 'It is well,' your servant will have peace. But if he is very angry, then know that he has decided on evil.
If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.
8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant. For you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is sin in me, kill me yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?”
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?"
9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I learned my father decided harm to come upon you, would I not tell you?”
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?"
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if by chance your father should answer you roughly?”
Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"
11 Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have questioned my father around this time tomorrow, or the third day, see, if there is good will toward David, will I not then send to you and make it known to you?
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?
13 If it pleases my father to do you harm, may Yahweh do to Jonathan and more also if I do not make it known to you and send you away, so that you may go in peace. May Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father.
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.
14 If I am still alive, will you not show me the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh, that I may not die?
And if I am still alive, deal loyally with me. But if I die,
15 Do not cut off your covenant faithfulness from my house forever—not even when Yahweh cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
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,
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David and said, “May Yahweh require an accounting from the hand of the enemies of David.”
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."
17 Jonathan made David vow again because of the love that he had for him, because he loved him as he loved his own soul.
And Jonathan swore to David again, because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon. You will be missed because your seat will be empty.
Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19 When you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when the business was in hand, and stay by the stone Ezel.
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.
20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.
And as for me, on the third day I will shoot arrows to its side, aiming it toward a target.
21 Then I will send my young man and say to him, 'Go find the arrows.' If I say to the young boy, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them,” then come; for there will be safety for you and not harm, as Yahweh lives.
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.
22 “But if I say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go your way, for Yahweh has sent you away.
But if I say this to the boy, 'Look, the arrow is beyond you;' then go your way; for YHWH has sent you away.
23 As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, see, Yahweh is between you and me forever.'”
Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, look, YHWH is a witness between you and me forever."
24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.
So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon had come, the king sat at the table to eat.
25 The king sat on his seat, as usual, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side. But David's place was empty.
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.
26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.”
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."
27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal either yesterday or today?”
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?"
28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission from me to go to Bethlehem.
Jonathan answered Saul, and said, "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 my brother has ordered me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table.”
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."
30 Then Saul's anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?
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?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now then, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die.”
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."
32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, “For what reason should he be put to death? What has he done?”
But Jonathan answered Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"
33 Then Saul threw his spear at him to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
Then Saul threw his spear at him to strike him, and Jonathan realized that this evil from his father to kill David was determined.
34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved over David, because his father had dishonored him.
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.
35 In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and a young man was with him.
It happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.
36 He said to his young man, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the young man ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
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.
37 When the young man came to the place where the arrow that Jonathan shot had landed, Jonathan called after the young man, and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
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?"
38 Then Jonathan called after the young man, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” So Jonathan's young man gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast. Hurry. Do not delay." Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39 But the young man did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his young man and said to him, “Go, take them to the city.”
Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."
41 As soon as the young man was gone, David stood up from behind the mound, lay facedown on the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another and wept together, with David weeping the more.
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.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of Yahweh and said, 'May Yahweh be between you and me, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.'” Then David stood up and left, and Jonathan returned to the city.
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.
