1 Samuel 19:1-10

English Standard Version

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. ^(A)But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. ²And 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. ³And 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.” ⁴And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king ^(B)sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. ⁵For ^(C)he took his life in his hand ^(D)and he struck down the Philistine, ^(E)and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against ^(F)innocent blood by killing David without cause?” ⁶And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, ^(G)“As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence ^(H)as before.

⁸And 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^(I)Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. ^(J)And David was playing the lyre. ¹⁰^(K)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.

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1 Samuel 20:1-17

English Standard Version

Jonathan Warns David

20 Then David fled from Naioth ^(A)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?” ²And 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.” ³But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that ^(B)I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, ^(C)as the Lord lives and ^(D)as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” ⁴Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” ⁵David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is ^(E)the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, ^(F)that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. ⁶^(G)If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run ^(H)to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly ^(I)sacrifice there for all the clan.’ ⁷If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that ^(J)harm is determined by him. ⁸Therefore deal kindly with your servant, ^(K)for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. ^(L)But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” ⁹And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that ^(M)it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” ¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” ¹¹And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

¹²And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness!^[a] 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? ¹³But should it please my father to do you harm, ^(N)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. ^(O)May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. ¹⁴If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; ¹⁵^(P)and do not cut off^[b] 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.” ¹⁶And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, ^(Q)“May^[c] the Lord take vengeance on David's enemies.” ¹⁷And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, ^(R)for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

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Footnotes

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