Jonathan Protects David

20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done?^(A) What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life?”

² Jonathan said to him, “No, you won’t die. Listen, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This can’t be true.”

³ But David said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor with you. He has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.’” David also swore, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”^(B)

⁴ Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

⁵ So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon,^(C) and I’m supposed to sit down and eat with the king.^(D) Instead, let me go, and I’ll hide in the countryside for the next two nights.^{[a](E) 6} If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David urgently requested my permission to go quickly to his hometown, Bethlehem,^(F) for an annual sacrifice^(G) there involving the whole clan.’ ⁷ If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he becomes angry, you will know he has evil intentions. ⁸ Deal kindly with^[b] your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the Lord.^(H) If I have done anything wrong,^(I) then kill me yourself; why take me to your father?”

⁹ “No!” Jonathan responded. “If I ever find out my father has evil intentions against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”

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

¹¹ He answered David, “Come on, let’s go out to the countryside.” So both of them went out to the countryside. ¹² “By the Lord, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If I find out that he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you? ¹³ If my father intends to bring evil on you, may the Lord punish Jonathan and do so severely^(J) if I do not tell you and send you away so you may leave safely. May the Lord be with you,^(K) just as he was with my father. ¹⁴ If I continue to live, show me kindness^[c] from the Lord, but if I die, ¹⁵ don’t ever withdraw your kindness from my household—not even when the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”^{(L) 16} Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David,^(M) saying, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies accountable.”^{[d](N) 17} Jonathan once again swore to David^[e] in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.^(O)

¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon;^(P) you’ll be missed because your seat will be empty. ¹⁹ The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel. ²⁰ I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I’m aiming at a target. ²¹ Then I will send a servant and say, ‘Go and find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to the servant, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you—get them,’ then come, because as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem. ²² But if I say this to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you!’ ^(Q) then go, for the Lord is sending you away. ²³ As for the matter you and I have spoken about,^(R) the Lord will be a witness^[f] between you and me forever.”^{(S) 24} So David hid in the countryside.

At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal. ²⁵ He sat at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him^[g] and Abner took his place beside Saul, but David’s place was empty.^{(T) 26} Saul did not say anything that day because he thought, “Something unexpected has happened; he must be ceremonially unclean—yes, that’s it, he is unclean.”^(U)

²⁷ However, the day after the New Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal either yesterday or today?”

²⁸ Jonathan answered, “David asked for my permission to go to Bethlehem.^{(V) 29} He said, ‘Please let me go because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go so I can see my brothers.’ That’s why he didn’t come to the king’s table.”

³⁰ Then Saul became angry with Jonathan and shouted, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you are siding with Jesse’s son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother?^{[h] 31} Every day Jesse’s son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me—he must die!” ^(W)

³² Jonathan answered his father back, “Why is he to be killed? What has he done?” ^(X)

³³ Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him,^(Y) so he knew that his father was determined to kill David.^{(Z) 34} He got up from the table fiercely angry and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

³⁵ In the morning Jonathan went out to the countryside for the appointed meeting with David. A young servant was with him. ³⁶ He said to the servant, “Run and find the arrows I’m shooting.”^(AA) As the servant ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷ He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, “The arrow is beyond you, isn’t it?” ^{(AB) 38} Then Jonathan called to him, “Hurry up and don’t stop!” Jonathan’s servant picked up the arrow and returned to his master. ³⁹ He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. ⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”

⁴¹ When the servant had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell facedown to the ground, and paid homage three times.^(AC) Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.^(AD)

⁴² Jonathan then said to David, “Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the Lord when we said, ‘The Lord will be a witness between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever.’”^(AE) Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city.

Judah’s Descendants

⁹ Jabez^[d] was more honored than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

¹⁰ Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only you would bless me, extend my border, let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not experience pain.”^[e] And God granted his request.

²¹ The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, the families of the guild^[h] of linen workers at Beth-ashbea, ²² Jokim, the men of Cozeba; and Joash and Saraph, who married Moabites^[i] and returned to Lehem.^[j] These names are from ancient records. ²³ They were the potters and residents of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king.

Simeon’s Descendants

²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, so their whole family did not become as numerous as the Judeans. ²⁸ They lived in Beer-sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, ²⁹ Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David became king. ³² Their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities, ³³ and all their surrounding villages as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record for themselves.

³⁸ these mentioned by name were leaders in their families. Their ancestral houses increased greatly. ³⁹ They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley to seek pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰ They found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, peaceful, and quiet,^(C) for some Hamites had lived there previously.

⁴¹ These^(D) who were recorded by name came in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, attacked the Hamites’ tents and the Meunites who were found there, and set them apart for destruction,^(E) as they are today. Then they settled in their place because there was pasture for their flocks. ⁴² Now five hundred men from these sons of Simeon went with Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the descendants of Ishi, as their leaders to Mount Seir.^{(F) 43} They struck down^(G) the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they still live there today.

Psalm 56

A Call for God’s Protection

For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.” A Miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.^(A)

Psalm 57

Praise for God’s Protection

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave.^(A)

Psalm 142

A Cry of Distress

A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave.^(A) A prayer.

Growth and Persecution in Iconium

14 In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.^{(A) 2} But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.^{(B) 3} So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders.^{(C) 4} But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and others with the apostles.^{(D) 5} When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat and stone them, ⁶ they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside.^{(E) 7} There they continued preaching the gospel.^(F)

Mistaken for Gods in Lystra

⁸ In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. ⁹ He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.^(G)

¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ^{(H) 12} Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.

¹⁴ The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting,^{(I) 15} “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things^(J) to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.^{[a](K) 16} In past generations he allowed all the nations^(L) to go their own way, ¹⁷ although he did not leave himself without a witness,^(M) since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons^(N) and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” ¹⁸ Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.^{(O) 20} After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.^(P)

Church Planting

²¹ After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch,^{(Q) 22} strengthening the^[b] disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith^(R) and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships^(S) to enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When they had appointed elders^(T) for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴ They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ After they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.^{(U) 27} After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them^(V) and that he had opened the door^(W) of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they spent a considerable time with the disciples.