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1 Samuel 20
New American Standard Bible

David and Jonathan’s Covenant

20 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and he came and (A)said [a]to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?” 2 He said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die! Behold, my father does nothing either great or small [b]without informing me. So why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” 3 Yet David (B)vowed again, [c]saying, “Your father is well aware that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Jonathan is not to know this, otherwise he will be worried.’ But indeed (C)as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is [d]just a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever [e]you say, I will do for you.” 5 So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is (D)the new moon, and I am obligated (E)to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go (F)so that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly requested leave of me to run to (G)Bethlehem, his city, because it is (H)the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’ 7 If he [f]says, ‘That is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, (I)be aware that he has decided on evil. 8 So deal kindly with your servant, for (J)you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But (K)if [g]I am guilty of wrongdoing, kill me yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” 9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I in fact learn that my father has decided [h]to inflict harm on you, would I not inform you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will inform me [i]if your father answers you harshly?” 11 Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field.

12 Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, is my witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if he has a good feeling toward [j]you, shall I not then send word to you and [k]inform you? 13 If it pleases my father to do you harm, (L)may the Lord do so to [l]me and more so, if I fail to [m]inform you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. And (M)may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. 14 And if I am still alive, will you not show me the faithfulness of the Lord, so that I do not die? 15 And (N)you shall never cut off your loyalty to my house, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “(O)May the Lord demand it from the hands of David’s enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because (P)he loved him as he loved his own life.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, “(Q)Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed since your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain beside the stone Ezel. 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. 21 Then behold, I will send the boy, telling him, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, because it is safe for you and there is nothing to harm you, as the Lord lives. 22 But if I [n]say to the youth, ‘(R)Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23 (S)As for the [o]agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, (T)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 Now the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan stood up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side; but (U)David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “It must have been an [p]accident; (V)he is not clean, undoubtedly he is not clean.” 27 But it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 And Jonathan answered Saul, “(W)David earnestly requested leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me slip away so that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”

Saul Is Angry with Jonathan

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 are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For, [q]as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now then, send men and bring him to me, for (X)he is [r]doomed to die!” 32 But Jonathan replied to his father Saul and said to him, “(Y)Why must he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 Then (Z)Saul hurled his spear at him to strike and kill him; (AA)so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. 34 Then Jonathan got up from the table in the heat of anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, because he was worried about David since his father had insulted him.

35 Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field at the time agreed upon with David, and a little boy was with him. 36 He said to his boy, “(AB)Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” The boy ran, and he shot [s]an arrow past him. 37 When the boy reached the location of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “(AC)Is the arrow not beyond you?” 38 Then Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrow and came to his master. 39 But the boy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” 41 When the boy was gone, David got up from the south side, then he fell on his face to the ground and (AD)bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, until (AE)David wept immeasurably. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “(AF)Go [t]in safety, since we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘(AG)The Lord will be between me and you, and between my [u]descendants and your [v]descendants forever.’” [w]So David set out and went on his way, while Jonathan went into the city.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 20:1 Lit before
  2. 1 Samuel 20:2 Lit and he does not uncover my ear
  3. 1 Samuel 20:3 Lit and said
  4. 1 Samuel 20:3 Lit about
  5. 1 Samuel 20:4 Lit your soul says
  6. 1 Samuel 20:7 Lit says thus
  7. 1 Samuel 20:8 Lit guilt exists in me
  8. 1 Samuel 20:9 Lit evil to come on
  9. 1 Samuel 20:10 As in ancient versions; MT or what your father
  10. 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit David
  11. 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit uncover your ear
  12. 1 Samuel 20:13 Lit Jonathan
  13. 1 Samuel 20:13 Lit uncover your ear
  14. 1 Samuel 20:22 Lit say thus
  15. 1 Samuel 20:23 Lit word
  16. 1 Samuel 20:26 I.e., accident of ritual pollution
  17. 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit all the days which
  18. 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit a son of death
  19. 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit the
  20. 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit to peace
  21. 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit seed
  22. 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit seed
  23. 1 Samuel 20:42 Ch 21:1 in Heb
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1 Samuel 20
International Standard Version

David and Jonathan’s Discussion

20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he’s determined to kill me?[a]

2 Jonathan[b] told him, “Far from it! You won’t die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me;[c] so why should my father hide this thing from me? It’s not like that!”

3 David again took an oath: “Your father certainly knows that I’ve found favor with you, and so he told himself,[d] ‘Jonathan must not know this so he won’t be upset.’ But as certainly as the Lord is alive and living, and as certainly as I’m alive and living, too, there is only a step between me and death.”

4 Jonathan told David, “Whatever you say, I’ll do.”

5 David told Jonathan, “Look, the New Moon is tomorrow, and I’m expected to sit down with the king to eat. Let me go so I can hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.[e] 6 If your father actually notices that I’m not there,[f] then you are to say, ‘David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant will be safe.[g] But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil.[h] 8 Now, show gracious kindness to your servant because you have entered into a sacred covenant[i] with your servant. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself—why should you bring me to your father?”

9 “Nonsense!” Jonathan replied. “If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”

10 Then David told Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

David and Jonathan Make a Covenant

11 Then Jonathan told David, “Come, let’s go into the field.” So the two of them went into the field. 12 Jonathan told David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness[j] that I’ll carefully question my father by tomorrow or the next day. And if the response[k] is favorable for David, will I not then send word[l] to you and let you know?[m] 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord strike me dead[n] if I don’t let you know and send you away so you may go safely. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14 If I remain alive, don’t fail to show me the Lord’s gracious love so that I don’t die. 15 And don’t stop showing your gracious love to my family forever, not even when the Lord eliminates each of David’s enemies from the surface of the earth.” 16 Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: “May the Lord punish any violation of this covenant by the hand of David’s enemies.”[o] 17 Jonathan made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.

Jonathan’s Signal to David

18 Jonathan told him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly and come to the place where you hid earlier.[p] Remain beside the rock at Ezel. 20 I’ll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock[q] as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I’ll send a servant,[r] saying,[s] ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the servant,[t] ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come out because it’s safe for you, and, as surely as the Lord lives, there is no danger.[u] 22 But if I say this to the young man: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 As for the matter about which you and I spoke, remember that[v] the Lord is a witness[w] between us forever.”

Jonathan Intercedes for David

24 David hid in the field. When the New Moon arrived, the king sat down to eat. 25 The king sat down at his place as before, in the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood while Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul didn’t say anything that day because he told himself,[x] “Something has happened; he’s unclean; surely he’s not clean.”

27 But the next day, on the second day of the New Moon, David’s place was empty, and so Saul told his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t Jesse’s son come to the festival, either yesterday or today?”

28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David urgently requested that I let him go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Please let me go because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to come. Now, if it’s acceptable to you,[y] please let me get away so I can see my brothers.’ That’s the reason he didn’t come to the king’s table.”

Saul’s Anger toward Jonathan

30 Saul flew into a rage and told Jonathan, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have chosen Jesse’s son to your shame and to the shame of your mother who bore you?[z] 31 As long as[aa] Jesse’s son lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established! Now send someone and bring David[ab] to me. He’s a dead man!”

32 Jonathan asked his father Saul, “Why should he be killed? What did he do?” 33 Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan[ac] down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David. 34 So on the second day of the New Moon Jonathan angrily got up from the table without eating because he was upset about David, and because his father had humiliated him.

Jonathan Warns David

35 In the morning Jonathan, accompanied by a servant,[ad] went out to the field for the appointment with David. 36 Jonathan[ae] told his servant,[af] “Run, find the arrows that I’m shooting.” As the servant[ag] ran, Jonathan[ah] shot the arrow beyond him. 37 The servant[ai] came to the place where Jonathan had shot it, and Jonathan called out to him,[aj] “The arrow is beyond you, isn’t it?” 38 Jonathan called out to the servant,[ak] “Hurry, be quick, don’t stand around.” Jonathan’s servant[al] picked up the arrow and brought it to his master. 39 The servant was not aware of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what had happened.[am]

40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant[an] who was with him and told him, “Go, take these things to the city.” 41 The servant[ao] went. Then David came out from the south side of the rock,[ap] fell on his face, and bowed down three times. The men kissed each other, and both of them cried, but David even more. 42 Jonathan told David, “Go in peace since both of us swore in the name of the Lord: ‘May the Lord be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”

[aq]Then David[ar] got up and left, while Jonathan went to the city.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 20:1 Lit. seeks my life
  2. 1 Samuel 20:2 Lit. He
  3. 1 Samuel 20:2 Lit. revealing it in my ear
  4. 1 Samuel 20:3 The Heb. lacks to himself
  5. 1 Samuel 20:5 Lit. until the third evening
  6. 1 Samuel 20:6 The Heb. lacks that I’m not there
  7. 1 Samuel 20:7 Lit. there will be peace for your servant
  8. 1 Samuel 20:7 Lit. that evil has been determined by him
  9. 1 Samuel 20:8 Lit. a covenant of the Lord
  10. 1 Samuel 20:12 The Heb. lacks is my witness
  11. 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit. it
  12. 1 Samuel 20:12 The Heb. lacks word
  13. 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit. reveal in your ear
  14. 1 Samuel 20:13 Lit. may the Lord do to Jonathan and more also; This oath would have been accompanied by some symbolic action such as simulating the plunge of a knife into one’s heart.
  15. 1 Samuel 20:16 Lit. may the Lord seek from the hand of David’s enemies
  16. 1 Samuel 20:19 Lit. on the day of the event
  17. 1 Samuel 20:20 The Heb. lacks of the rock
  18. 1 Samuel 20:21 Or boy
  19. 1 Samuel 20:21 The Heb. lacks saying
  20. 1 Samuel 20:21 Or boy
  21. 1 Samuel 20:21 Lit. thing
  22. 1 Samuel 20:23 Or look,
  23. 1 Samuel 20:23 The Heb. lacks a witness
  24. 1 Samuel 20:26 The Heb. lacks to himself
  25. 1 Samuel 20:29 Lit. if I have found favor in your eyes
  26. 1 Samuel 20:30 Lit. to the shame of your mother’s nakedness
  27. 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit. all the days that
  28. 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit. him
  29. 1 Samuel 20:33 Lit. him
  30. 1 Samuel 20:35 Lit. young man
  31. 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. He
  32. 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. young man
  33. 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. young man
  34. 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. he
  35. 1 Samuel 20:37 Lit. young man
  36. 1 Samuel 20:37 Lit. young man
  37. 1 Samuel 20:38 Lit. young man
  38. 1 Samuel 20:38 Lit. young man
  39. 1 Samuel 20:39 Lit. the matter
  40. 1 Samuel 20:40 Lit. young man
  41. 1 Samuel 20:41 Lit. young man
  42. 1 Samuel 20:41 The Heb. lacks of the rock
  43. 1 Samuel 20:42 This sentence is 21:1 in MT
  44. 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit. he
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