1 Samuel 20
1 And David fleeth from Naioth in Ramah, and cometh, and saith before Jonathan, 'What have I done? what [is] mine iniquity? and what my sin before thy father, that he is seeking 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 And he saith to him, 'Far be it! thou dost not die; lo, my father doth not do anything great or small and doth not uncover mine ear; and wherefore doth my father hide from me this thing? this [thing] is not.'
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 And David sweareth again, and saith, 'Thy father hath certainly known that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved; and yet, Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, but — as 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 Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."
4 And Jonathan saith to David, 'What doth thy soul say? — and I do it for thee.'
Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will do for you."
5 And David saith unto Jonathan, 'Lo, the new moon [is] to-morrow; and I do certainly sit with the king to eat; and thou hast sent me away, and I have been hidden in a field till the third 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 thy father at all look after me, and thou hast said, David asked earnestly of me to run to Beth-Lehem his city, for a sacrifice of the days [is] there for all the family.
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 thus he say: Good; peace [is] for thy servant; and if it be very displeasing to him — know that the evil hath been determined by him;
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 and thou hast done kindness, to thy servant, for into a covenant of Jehovah thou hast brought thy servant with thee; — and if there is in me iniquity, put thou me to death; and unto thy father, why is this — thou dost bring me in?'
Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Jehovah with you: but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"
9 And Jonathan saith, 'Far be it from thee! for I certainly do not know that the evil hath been determined by my father to come upon thee, and I do not declare it to thee.'
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 And David saith unto Jonathan, 'Who doth declare to me? or what [if] thy father doth answer thee sharply?'
Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"
11 And Jonathan saith unto David, 'Come, and we go out into the field;' and they go out both of them into the field.
Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field.
12 And Jonathan saith unto David, 'Jehovah, God of Israel — when I search my father, about [this] time to-morrow [or] the third [day], and lo, good [is] towards David, and I do not then send unto thee, and have uncovered thine ear —
Jonathan said to David, "Jehovah, 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 thus doth Jehovah do to Jonathan, and thus doth He add; when the evil concerning thee is good to my father, then I have uncovered thine ear, and sent thee away, and thou hast gone in peace, and Jehovah is with thee, as he was 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 Jehovah be with you, as he has been with my father.
14 and not only while I am alive dost thou do with me the kindness of Jehovah, and I die not,
And if I am still alive, deal loyally with me. But if I die,
15 but thou dost not cut off thy kindness from my house unto the age, nor in Jehovah's cutting off the enemies of David, each one from off the face of the ground.'
do not cut off your loyalty from my house forever. And when Jehovah cuts off the enemies of David, each one from the face of the earth,
16 And Jonathan covenanteth with the house of David, and Jehovah hath sought [it] from the hand of the enemies of David;
if the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David, then may Jehovah require it at the hand of the enemies of David."
17 and Jonathan addeth to cause David to swear, because he loveth him, for with the love of his own soul he hath loved him.
And Jonathan swore to David again, because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 And Jonathan saith to him, 'To-morrow [is] new moon, and thou hast been looked after, for thy seat is looked after;
Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19 and on the third day thou dost certainly come down, and hast come in unto the place where thou wast hidden in the day of the work, and hast remained near 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 'And I shoot three of the arrows at the side, sending out for myself at a mark;
And as for me, on the third day I will shoot arrows to its side, aiming it toward a target.
21 and lo, I send the youth: Go, find the arrows. If I at all say to the youth, Lo, the arrows [are] on this side of thee — take them, — then come thou, for peace [is] for thee, and there is nothing; Jehovah liveth.
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 Jehovah lives.
22 And if thus I say to the young man, Lo, the arrows [are] beyond thee, — go, for Jehovah hath sent thee away;
But if I say this to the boy, 'Look, the arrow is beyond you;' then go your way; for Jehovah has sent you away.
23 as to the thing which we have spoken, I and thou, lo, Jehovah [is] between me and thee — unto the age.'
Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, look, Jehovah is a witness between you and me forever."
24 And David is hidden in the field, and it is the new moon, and the king sitteth down by the food to eat,
So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon had come, the king sat at the table to eat.
25 and the king sitteth on his seat, as time by time, on a seat by the wall, and Jonathan riseth, and Abner sitteth at the side of Saul, and David's place is looked after.
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 And Saul hath not spoken anything on that day, for he said, 'It [is] an accident; he is not clean — surely 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 And it cometh to pass on the second morrow of the new moon, that David's place is looked after, and Saul saith unto Jonathan his son, 'Wherefore hath the son of Jesse not come in, either yesterday or to-day, unto the food?'
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 And Jonathan answereth Saul, 'David hath been earnestly asked of me unto Beth-Lehem,
Jonathan answered Saul, and said, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
29 and he saith, Send me away, I pray thee, for a family sacrifice we have in the city, and my brother himself hath given command to me, and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, let me go away, I pray thee, and see my brethren; therefore he hath not come unto the table of the king.'
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 And the anger of Saul burneth against Jonathan, and he saith to him, 'Son of a perverse rebellious woman! have I not known that thou art fixing on the son of Jesse to thy shame, and to the shame of the nakedness of thy mother?
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 all the days that the son of Jesse liveth on the ground thou art not established, thou and thy kingdom; and now, send and bring him unto me, for he [is] a son of death.'
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 And Jonathan answereth Saul his father, and saith unto him, 'Why is he put to death? what hath he done?'
But Jonathan answered Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"
33 And Saul casteth the javelin at him to smite him, and Jonathan knoweth that it hath been determined by his father to put David to death.
Then Saul raised his spear at him to strike him, and Jonathan realized that this evil from his father to kill David was determined.
34 And Jonathan riseth from the table in the heat of anger, and hath not eaten food on the second day of the new moon, for he hath been grieved for David, for his father put him to shame.
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 And it cometh to pass in the morning, that Jonathan goeth out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little youth [is] 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 And he saith to his youth, 'Run, find, I pray thee, the arrows which I am shooting;' the youth is running, and he hath shot the arrow, causing [it] to pass over 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 And the youth cometh unto the place of the arrow which Jonathan hath shot, and Jonathan calleth after the youth, and saith, 'Is not the arrow beyond thee?'
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 and Jonathan calleth after the youth, 'Speed, haste, stand not;' and Jonathan's youth gathereth the arrows, and cometh unto his lord.
Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast. Hurry. Do not delay." Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39 And the youth hath not known anything, only Jonathan and David knew the word.
But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 And Jonathan giveth his weapons unto the youth whom he hath, and saith to him, 'Go, carry into the city.'
Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."
41 The youth hath gone, and David hath risen from Ezel, at the south, and falleth on his face to the earth, and boweth himself three times, and they kiss one another, and they weep one with another, till David exerted himself;
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 and Jonathan saith to David, 'Go in peace, in that we have sworn — we two — in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah is between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed — unto the age;' and he riseth and goeth; and Jonathan hath gone in to the city.
Then Jonathan said, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of Jehovah, saying, 'Jehovah shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.'" He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.
