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1 Samuel 18-20
New King James Version
1 Samuel 18-20
New King James Version
Saul Resents David
18 Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, (A)the [a]soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, (B)and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day, (C)and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. 3 Then Jonathan and David made a (D)covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
5 So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and [b]behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. 6 Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the [c]Philistine, that (E)the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7 So the women (F)sang as they danced, and said:
(G)“Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.”
8 Then Saul was very angry, and the saying (H)displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but (I)the kingdom?” 9 So Saul [d]eyed David from that day forward.
10 And it happened on the next day that (J)the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, (K)and he prophesied inside the house. So David (L)played music with his hand, as at other times; (M)but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. 11 And Saul (N)cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.
12 Now Saul was (O)afraid of David, because (P)the Lord was with him, but had (Q)departed from Saul. 13 Therefore Saul removed him from [e]his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and (R)he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and (S)the Lord was with him. 15 Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. 16 But (T)all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
David Marries Michal
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; (U)I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight (V)the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, (W)“Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 So David said to Saul, (X)“Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to (Y)Adriel the (Z)Meholathite as a wife.
20 (AA)Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may [f]be a snare to him, and that (AB)the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, (AC)“You shall be my son-in-law today.”
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” 24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, [g]“In this manner David spoke.”
25 Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any (AD)dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take (AE)vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul (AF)thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now (AG)the days had not expired; 27 therefore David arose and went, he and (AH)his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And (AI)David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.
28 Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; 29 and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy [h]continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines (AJ)went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David (AK)behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.
Saul Persecutes David
19 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill (AL)David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, (AM)delighted greatly in David. 2 So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell (AN)you.”
4 Thus Jonathan (AO)spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king (AP)sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you. 5 For he took his (AQ)life in his hands and (AR)killed the Philistine, and (AS)the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. (AT)Why then will you (AU)sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”
6 So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed.” 7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence (AV)as in times past.
8 And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, (AW)and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him.
9 Now (AX)the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. 10 Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.
11 (AY)Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal (AZ)let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped. 13 And Michal took [i]an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothes. 14 So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goats’ hair for his head. 17 Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?”
And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! (BA)Why should I kill you?’ ”
18 So David fled and escaped, and went to (BB)Samuel at (BC)Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. 19 Now it was told Saul, saying, “Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah!” 20 Then (BD)Saul sent messengers to take David. (BE)And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also (BF)prophesied. 21 And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22 Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?”
And someone said, “Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then (BG)the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 (BH)And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down (BI)naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, (BJ)“Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Jonathan’s Loyalty to David
20 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
2 So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”
3 Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But (BK)truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
4 So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”
5 And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the (BL)New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may (BM)hide in the field until the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over (BN)to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ 7 (BO)If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that (BP)evil is determined by him. 8 Therefore you shall (BQ)deal kindly with your servant, for (BR)you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Nevertheless, (BS)if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”
9 But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?”
11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. 12 Then Jonathan said to David: “The Lord God of Israel is witness! When I have [j]sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, 13 may (BT)the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And (BU)the Lord be with you as He has (BV)been with my father. 14 And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die; 15 but (BW)you shall not [k]cut off your kindness from my [l]house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the [m]house of David, saying, (BX)“Let the Lord require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”
17 Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; (BY)for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18 Then Jonathan said to David, (BZ)“Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to (CA)the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. 20 Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; 21 and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, (CB)as the Lord lives, there is safety for you and no harm. 22 But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 And as for (CC)the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be between you and me forever.”
24 Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. 25 Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And [n]Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is (CD)unclean.” 27 And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”
28 So Jonathan (CE)answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger was aroused 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? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he [o]shall surely die.”
32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, (CF)“Why should he be killed? What has he done?” 33 Then Saul (CG)cast a spear at him to [p]kill him, (CH)by which Jonathan knew that it was determined 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.
35 And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. 36 Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. 39 But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. 40 Then Jonathan gave his [q]weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”
41 As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, (CI)“Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:1 life of Jonathan was bound up with the life of
- 1 Samuel 18:5 Or prospered
- 1 Samuel 18:6 Philistines
- 1 Samuel 18:9 Viewed with suspicion
- 1 Samuel 18:13 Lit. himself
- 1 Samuel 18:21 be bait for
- 1 Samuel 18:24 Lit. According to these words
- 1 Samuel 18:29 all the days
- 1 Samuel 19:13 household idols, Heb. teraphim
- 1 Samuel 20:12 searched out
- 1 Samuel 20:15 stop being kind
- 1 Samuel 20:15 family
- 1 Samuel 20:16 family
- 1 Samuel 20:25 So with MT, Syr., Tg., Vg.; LXX he sat across from Jonathan
- 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit. is a son of death
- 1 Samuel 20:33 strike him down
- 1 Samuel 20:40 equipment
1 Samuel 18-20
English Standard Version
1 Samuel 18-20
English Standard Version
David and Jonathan's Friendship
18 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan (A)loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day (B)and would not let him return to his father's house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because (C)he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out (D)and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
Saul's Jealousy of David
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, (E)the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.[a] 7 And the women (F)sang to one another as they celebrated,
(G)“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but (H)the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.
10 The next day (I)a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and (J)he raved within his house while David was (K)playing the lyre, as he did day by day. (L)Saul had his spear in his hand. 11 And Saul (M)hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.
12 (N)Saul was afraid of David because (O)the Lord was with him (P)but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. (Q)And he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David (R)had success in all his undertakings, (S)for the Lord was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that (T)he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. 16 (U)But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.
David Marries Michal
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is (V)my elder daughter Merab. (W)I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me (X)and fight the Lord's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, (Y)but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18 And David said to Saul, (Z)“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to (AA)Adriel the (AB)Meholathite for a wife.
20 Now (AC)Saul's daughter Michal (AD)loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may (AE)be a snare for him (AF)and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,[b] (AG)“You shall now be my son-in-law.” 22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king's son-in-law.’” 23 And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, (AH)“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” 24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” 25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no (AI)bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, (AJ)that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’” (AK)Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. (AL)Before the time had expired, 27 David arose and went, (AM)along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. (AN)And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that (AO)the Lord was with David, (AP)and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually.
30 (AQ)Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out (AR)David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.
Saul Tries to Kill David
19 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. (AS)But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. 2 And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” 4 And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king (AT)sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5 For (AU)he took his life in his hand (AV)and he struck down the Philistine, (AW)and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against (AX)innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, (AY)“As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence (AZ)as before.
8 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9 (BA)Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. (BB)And David was playing the lyre. 10 (BC)And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
11 (BD)Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 (BE)So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took (BF)an image[c] and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers came in, behold, (BG)the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. (BH)Why should I kill you?’”
18 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at (BI)Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, (BJ)the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, (BK)and they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, (BL)and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, (BM)and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in (BN)Ramah.” 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. (BO)And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 (BP)And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, (BQ)“Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Jonathan Warns David
20 Then David fled from Naioth (BR)in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” 3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that (BS)I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, (BT)as the Lord lives and (BU)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.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is (BV)the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, (BW)that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. 6 (BX)If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run (BY)to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly (BZ)sacrifice there for all the clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that (CA)harm is determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, (CB)for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. (CC)But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that (CD)it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
12 And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness![d] When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, (CE)the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. (CF)May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 (CG)and do not cut off[e] your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, (CH)“May[f] the Lord take vengeance on David's enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, (CI)for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, (CJ)“Tomorrow is the new moon, and (CK)you will be missed, because (CL)your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.[g] 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, (CM)as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, (CN)‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 (CO)And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, (CP)the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite,[h] and Abner sat by Saul's side, (CQ)but David's place was empty.
26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. (CR)He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on (CS)the second day, the day after the new moon, (CT)David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, (CU)“David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king's table.”
30 Then Saul's anger was kindled 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? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, (CV)“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 (CW)But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew (CX)that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose 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 disgraced him.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, (CY)“Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap[i] and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, (CZ)“Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, (DA)‘The Lord shall be between me and you, (DB)and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.[j]
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:6 Or triangles, or three-stringed instruments
- 1 Samuel 18:21 Hebrew by two
- 1 Samuel 19:13 Or a household god
- 1 Samuel 20:12 Hebrew lacks be witness
- 1 Samuel 20:15 Or but if I die, do not cut off
- 1 Samuel 20:16 Septuagint earth, 16let not the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David. And may
- 1 Samuel 20:19 Septuagint; Hebrew the stone Ezel
- 1 Samuel 20:25 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew stood up
- 1 Samuel 20:41 Septuagint; Hebrew from beside the south
- 1 Samuel 20:42 This sentence is 21:1 in Hebrew
1 Samuel 18-20
New International Version
1 Samuel 18-20
New International Version
Saul’s Growing Fear of David
18 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan(A) became one in spirit with David, and he loved(B) him as himself.(C) 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant(D) with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe(E) he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.(F)
5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful(G) that Saul gave him a high rank in the army.(H) This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.
6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing,(I) with joyful songs and with timbrels(J) and lyres. 7 As they danced, they sang:(K)
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens(L) of thousands.”
8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?(M)” 9 And from that time on Saul kept a close(N) eye on David.
10 The next day an evil[a] spirit(O) from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre,(P) as he usually(Q) did. Saul had a spear(R) in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself,(S) “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded(T) him twice.(U)
12 Saul was afraid(V) of David, because the Lord(W) was with(X) David but had departed from(Y) Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led(Z) the troops in their campaigns.(AA) 14 In everything he did he had great success,(AB) because the Lord was with(AC) him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.(AD)
17 Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter(AE) Merab. I will give her to you in marriage;(AF) only serve me bravely and fight the battles(AG) of the Lord.” For Saul said to himself,(AH) “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”
18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I,(AI) and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?(AJ)” 19 So[b] when the time came for Merab,(AK) Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.(AL)
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal(AM) was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.(AN) 21 “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare(AO) to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”
22 Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’”
23 They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law?(AP) I’m only a poor man and little known.”
24 When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price(AQ) for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge(AR) on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan(AS) was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.
26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27 David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal(AT) in marriage.
28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal(AU) loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid(AV) of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success(AW) than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.
Saul Tries to Kill David
19 Saul told his son Jonathan(AX) and all the attendants to kill(AY) David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David 2 and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding(AZ) and stay there. 3 I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak(BA) to him about you and will tell you what I find out.”
4 Jonathan spoke(BB) well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong(BC) to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. 5 He took his life(BD) in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory(BE) for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent(BF) man like David by killing him for no reason?”
6 Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.”
7 So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.(BG)
8 Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.
9 But an evil[c] spirit(BH) from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre,(BI) 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded(BJ) him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.
11 Saul sent men to David’s house to watch(BK) it and to kill him in the morning.(BL) But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through a window,(BM) and he fled and escaped. 13 Then Michal took an idol(BN) and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.
14 When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said,(BO) “He is ill.”
15 Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.” 16 But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair.
17 Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?”
Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?’”
18 When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah(BP) and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. 19 Word came to Saul: “David is in Naioth at Ramah”; 20 so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets(BQ) prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on(BR) Saul’s men, and they also prophesied.(BS) 21 Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”
“Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said.
23 So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying(BT) until he came to Naioth. 24 He stripped(BU) off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s(BV) presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”(BW)
David and Jonathan
20 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged(BX) your father, that he is trying to kill me?”(BY)
2 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!”
3 But David took an oath(BZ) and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”
4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”
5 So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast,(CA) and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide(CB) in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission(CC) to hurry to Bethlehem,(CD) his hometown, because an annual(CE) sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper,(CF) you can be sure that he is determined(CG) to harm me. 8 As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant(CH) with you before the Lord. If I am guilty, then kill(CI) me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
9 “Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”
10 David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 “Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they went there together.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound(CJ) out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely,(CK) if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with(CL) you as he has been with my father. 14 But show me unfailing kindness(CM) like the Lord’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family(CN)—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
16 So Jonathan(CO) made a covenant(CP) with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.(CQ)” 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath(CR) out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.(CS) 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid(CT) when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows(CU) to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond(CV) you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness(CW) between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast(CX) came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan,[d] and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty.(CY) 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.(CZ)” 27 But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission(DA) to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice(DB) in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom(DC) will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”
32 “Why(DD) should he be put to death? What(DE) has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended(DF) to kill David.
34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond(DG) you?” 38 Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”
41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground.(DH) Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace,(DI) for we have sworn friendship(DJ) with each other in the name of the Lord,(DK) saying, ‘The Lord is witness(DL) between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.(DM)’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.[e]
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:10 Or a harmful
- 1 Samuel 18:19 Or However,
- 1 Samuel 19:9 Or But a harmful
- 1 Samuel 20:25 Septuagint; Hebrew wall. Jonathan arose
- 1 Samuel 20:42 In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.
Psalm 83
New King James Version
Psalm 83
New King James Version
Prayer to Frustrate Conspiracy Against Israel
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
83 Do(A) not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!
2 For behold, (B)Your enemies make a [a]tumult;
And those who hate You have [b]lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together (C)against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (D)let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
5 For they have consulted together with one [c]consent;
They [d]form a confederacy against You:
6 (E)The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them as with (F)Midian,
As with (G)Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor,
(H)Who became as refuse on the earth.
11 Make their nobles like (I)Oreb and like Zeeb,
Yes, all their princes like (J)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”
13 (K)O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
(L)Like the chaff before the wind!
14 As the fire burns the woods,
And as the flame (M)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be [e]confounded and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 (N)That they may know that You, whose (O)name alone is the Lord,
Are (P)the Most High over all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 83:2 uproar
- Psalm 83:2 Exalted themselves
- Psalm 83:5 Lit. heart
- Psalm 83:5 Lit. cut a covenant
- Psalm 83:17 ashamed
Psalm 83
English Standard Version
Psalm 83
English Standard Version
O God, Do Not Keep Silence
A Song. A Psalm of (A)Asaph.
83 O God, do not keep silence;
(B)do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies (C)make an uproar;
those who hate you have (D)raised their heads.
3 They lay (E)crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your (F)treasured ones.
4 They say, “Come, (G)let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
5 For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6 the tents of (H)Edom and (I)the Ishmaelites,
(J)Moab and (K)the Hagrites,
7 (L)Gebal and (M)Ammon and (N)Amalek,
(O)Philistia with the inhabitants of (P)Tyre;
8 (Q)Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of (R)the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did to (S)Midian,
as to (T)Sisera and Jabin at (U)the river Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at (V)En-dor,
who became (W)dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (X)Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like (Y)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, (Z)“Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like (AA)whirling dust,[a]
like (AB)chaff before the wind.
14 As (AC)fire consumes the forest,
as the flame (AD)sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them (AE)with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 (AF)Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be (AG)put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
18 that they may (AH)know that you alone,
(AI)whose name is the Lord,
are (AJ)the Most High over all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 83:13 Or like a tumbleweed
Psalm 83
New International Version
Psalm 83
New International Version
Psalm 83[a]
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not remain silent;(A)
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,(B)
how your foes rear their heads.(C)
3 With cunning they conspire(D) against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.(E)
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy(F) them as a nation,(G)
so that Israel’s name is remembered(H) no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;(I)
they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom(J) and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab(K) and the Hagrites,(L)
7 Byblos,(M) Ammon(N) and Amalek,(O)
Philistia,(P) with the people of Tyre.(Q)
8 Even Assyria(R) has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b](S)
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,(T)
as you did to Sisera(U) and Jabin(V) at the river Kishon,(W)
10 who perished at Endor(X)
and became like dung(Y) on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,(Z)
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,(AA)
12 who said, “Let us take possession(AB)
of the pasturelands of God.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 83:1 In Hebrew texts 83:1-18 is numbered 83:2-19.
- Psalm 83:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.