1 Samuel 20
1 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 my life?”
And David fled from Navath in Rama, and comes into the presence of Jonathan; and he said, What have I done, and what [is] my fault, and wherein have I sinned before your father, that he seeks my life?
2 He said to him, “Far from it; you will not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me. Why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.”
And Jonathan said to him, Far be it from you: you shall not die: behold, my father will not do any thing great or small without discovering it to me; and why should my father hide this matter from me? This thing is not [so].
3 David swore moreover, 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 the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
And David answered Jonathan, and said, Your father knows surely that I have found grace in your sight, and he said, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he refuse his consent: but [as] the Lord lives and your soul lives, as I said, [the space] is filled up between me and death.
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you.”
And Jonathan said to David, What does your soul desire, and what shall I do for you.
5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.
And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow [is] the new moon, and I shall not on any account sit down to eat, but you shall let me go, and I will hide in the plain till the 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; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’
And if your father do in anyway enquire for me, then shall you say, David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethleem his city, for [there is] there, a yearly sacrifice for all the family.
7 If he says, ‘It is well,’ your servant shall have peace; but if he is angry, then know that evil is determined by him.
If he shall say thus, Well, — [all is] safe for your servant: but if he shall answer harshly to you, know that evil is determined by him.
8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you; but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”
And you shall deal mercifully with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with yourself: and if there is iniquity in your servant, kill me yourself; but why do you thus bring me to your 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 would not I tell you that?”
And Jonathan said, That be far from you: for if I surely know that evil is determined by my father to come upon you, although it should not be against your cities, I will tell you.
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?”
And David said to Jonathan, Who can tell me if your father should answer roughly?
11 Jonathan said to David, “Come! Let’s go out into the field.” They both went out into the field.
And Jonathan said to David, Go, and abide in the field. And they went out both into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, will not I then send to you and disclose it to you?
And Jonathan said to David, the Lord God of Israel knows that I will sound my father as I have an opportunity, three several times, and, behold, [if good] should be determined concerning David, and I do not send to you to the field,
13 The LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in peace. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father.
God do so to Jonathan and more also: as I shall [also] report the evil to you, and make it known to you, and I will let you go; and you shall depart in peace, and the Lord shall be with you, as he was with my father.
14 You shall not only show me the loving kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I not die;
And if indeed I continue to live, then shall you deal mercifully with me; and if I indeed die,
15 but you shall also not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the surface of the earth.”
you shall not withdraw your mercy from my house for ever: and if you do not, when the Lord cuts off the enemies of David each from the face of the earth,
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with David’s house, saying, “The LORD will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”
[should it happen] that the name of Jonathan be discovered by the house of David, then let the Lord seek out the enemies of David.
17 Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
And Jonathan swore yet again to David, because he loved the soul of him that loved him.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
And Jonathan said, To-morrow [is] the new moon, and you will be enquired for, because your seat will be observed as vacant.
19 When you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and remain by the stone Ezel.
And you shall stay three days, and watch an opportunity, and shall come to your place where you may hide yourself in the day of your business, and you shall wait by that stone Ezel.
20 I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.
And I will shoot three arrows, aiming them at a mark.
21 Behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ If I tell the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;’ then come, for there is peace to you and no danger, as the LORD lives.
And behold, I [will] send a lad, saying, Go find me the arrow.
22 But if I say this to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go your way, for the LORD has sent you away.
If I should expressly say to the lad, The arrow [is] here, and on this side of you, take it; [then] come, for it is well with you, and there is no reason [for fear, as] the Lord lives: [but] if I should say thus to the young man, The arrow [is] on that side of you, and beyond; go, for the Lord has sent you away.
23 Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”
And as for the word which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord [is] witness between me and you for ever.
24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon had come, the king sat himself down to eat food.
So David hides himself in the field, and the [new] month arrives, and the king comes to the table to eat.
25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
And he sat upon his seat as in former times, even on his seat by the wall, and he went before Jonathan; and Abenner sat on one side of Saul, and the place of David 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 on that day, for he said, It seems to have fallen out that he is not clean, because he has not purified himself.
27 On the next day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why did not the son of Jesse come to eat, either yesterday, or today?”
And it came to pass on the morrow, on the second day of the month, that the place of David was empty; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jessae attended both yesterday and today at the table?
28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.
And Jonathan answered Saul, and said to him, David asked leave of me to go as far as Bethleem his city;
29 He said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded 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 he said, Let me go, I pray you, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brethren have sent for me; and now, if I have found grace in your eyes, I will even go over and see my brethren: therefore he is not present at the table of the king.
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
And Saul was exceedingly angry with Jonathan, and said to him, You son of traitorous damsels! for do I not know that you are an accomplice with the son of Jessae to your same, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established, nor will your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!”
For so long as the son of Jessae lives upon the earth, your kingdom shall not be established: now then send and take the young man, for he shall surely die.
32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
And Jonathan answered Saul, Why is he to die? What has he done?
33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
And Saul lifted up his spear against Jonathan to kill him: so Jonathan knew that this evil was determined on by his father 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 treated him shamefully.
And Jonathan sprang up from the table in great anger, and did not eat bread on the second [day] of the month, for he grieved bitterly for David, because his father determined [on mischief] against him.
35 In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.
And morning came, and Jonathan went out to the field, as he appointed [to do] for a signal to David, and a little boy [was] with him.
36 He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
And he said to the boy, Run, find me the arrows which I shoot: and the boy ran, and [Jonathan] shot an arrow, and sent it beyond [him].
37 When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
And the boy came to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan shot; and Jonathan cried out after the lad, and said, The arrow [is] on that side of you and beyond you.
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 out after his boy, saying, Make all speed, and stay not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and brought the arrows to his master.
39 But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
And the boy knew nothing, only Jonathan and David [knew].
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 boy, and said to his boy, Go, enter into the city.
41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another and wept with one another, and David wept the most.
And when the lad went in, then David arose from the south, and fell upon his face, and did obeisance to him three times, and they kissed each other, and wept for each other, for a great while.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the LORD’s name, saying, ‘The LORD is between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, and as we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be witness between me and you, and between my seed and your seed for ever—[even so let it be]. And David arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
