1 Samuel 20
1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what [is] my iniquity? and what [is] my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?”
2 And he said to him, Far be it from thee; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing, either great or small, but that he will show it to me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it [is] not [so].
“Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!”
3 And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thy eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he should be grieved: But truly [as] the LORD liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, [there is] but a step between me and death.
But David again vowed, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.’ As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”
4 Then said Jonathan to David, Whatever thy soul desireth, I will even do [it] for thee.
Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”
5 And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to morrow [is] the 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 to the third [day] at evening.
So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now.
6 If thy father shall at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked [leave] of me, that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for [there is] a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for his whole clan.’
7 If he shall say thus, [It is] well; thy servant will have peace: but if he shall be very wroth, [then] be sure that evil is determined by him.
If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions.
8 Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there is in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldst thou bring me to thy father?
Therefore deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?”
9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil is determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?
“Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?”
10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what [if] thy father shall answer thee roughly?
Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 And Jonathan said to David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.
“Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field,
12 And Jonathan said to David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to-morrow any time, [or] the third [day], and behold, [if there be] good towards David, and I then send not to thee, and show it thee;
and Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?
13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it shall please my father [to do] thee evil, then I will show it to thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father.
14 And thou shalt, not only while yet I live, show me the kindness of the LORD, that I may not die:
And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,
15 But [also] thou shalt not withdraw thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
16 So Jonathan made [a covenant] with the house of David, [saying], Let the LORD even require [it] at the hand of David's enemies.
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”
17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, To-morrow [is] the new-moon: and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed if your seat is empty.
19 And [when] thou hast stayed three days, [then] thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was [in hand], and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
When you have stayed three days, hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and remain beside the stone Ezel.
20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side [of it], as though I shot at a mark.
I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.
21 And behold, I will send a 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 thou: for [there is] peace to thee, and no hurt; [as] the LORD liveth.
Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.
22 But if I say thus to the young man, Behold, the arrows [are] beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.
But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away.
23 And [as to] the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD [be] between thee and me for ever.
And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new-moon had come, the king sat down to eat food.
So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat.
25 And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, [even] upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.
He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty.
26 Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he [is] not clean; surely he [is] not clean.
Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”
27 And it came to pass on the morrow, [which was] the second [day] of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why cometh not the son of Jesse to eat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?
But on the day after the New Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal either yesterday or today?”
28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked [leave] of me [to go] to Beth-lehem:
Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem,
29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother he hath commanded me [to be there]: and now if I have found favor in thy eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not to the king's table.
saying, ‘Please let me go, because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he did not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious [woman], do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thy own confusion, and to the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the disgrace of the mother who bore you?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.
For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingship shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!”
32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why shall he be slain? what hath he done?
“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to slay David.
Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.
34 So Jonathan arose 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 done him shame.
Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the month, for he was grieved by his father’s shameful treatment of David.
35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him.
36 And he said to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. [And] as the lad ran, he shot an arrow, beyond him.
He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
37 And when the lad had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, [Is] not the arrow beyond thee?
When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”
38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.
39 But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.
40 And Jonathan gave his arms to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry [them] to the city.
Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
41 [And] as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of [a place] towards 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.
When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.
42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD 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.
And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.
