1 Samuel 20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Friendship of David and Jonathan
20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came before Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin against your father that he is trying to take my life?”(A) 2 He said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. My father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me, and why should my father hide this from me? Never!” 3 But David also swore, “Your father knows well that you like me, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, 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, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at the meal, but let me go, so that I may hide in the field until the third evening.(B) 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’(C) 7 If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that evil has been determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a sacred covenant[a] with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?”(D) 9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was decided by my father that evil should come upon you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” 11 Jonathan replied to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out 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 on the third day, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But if my father intends to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.(E) 14 If I am still alive, show me the faithful love of the Lord, but if I die,[b] 15 never cut off your faithful love from my house, even if the Lord were to cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”(F) 16 Thus Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord seek out the enemies of David.” 17 Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own life.(G)
18 Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon; you will be missed because your place will be empty.(H) 19 On the day after tomorrow, you shall go a long way down; go to the place where you hid yourself earlier, and remain beside the stone there.[c](I) 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 Then 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; collect them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away.(J) 23 As for the matter about which you and I have spoken, the Lord be between you and me forever.”(K)
24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat at the feast to eat. 25 The king sat upon his seat, as at other times, upon the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood, while Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.(L)
26 Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has befallen him; he is not clean; surely he is not clean.”(M) 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem;(N) 29 he said, ‘Let me go, for our family is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, 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. He said to him, “You son of a rebellious woman![d] 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?(O) 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”(P) 33 But Saul threw his spear at him to strike him, so Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father to put David to death.(Q) 34 Jonathan sprang up[e] from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David and because his father had disgraced him.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him was a little boy. 36 He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.(R) 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is the arrow not beyond you?”(S) 38 Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not linger.” 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 arrangement. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 As soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap[f] and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He bowed three times, and they kissed each other and wept with each other; David wept the more.[g] 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’ ” He got up and left, and Jonathan went into the city.[h](T)
Read full chapter
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 20:1 Lit. seeks my life
- 1 Samuel 20:2 Lit. He
- 1 Samuel 20:2 Lit. revealing it in my ear
- 1 Samuel 20:3 The Heb. lacks to himself
- 1 Samuel 20:5 Lit. until the third evening
- 1 Samuel 20:6 The Heb. lacks that I’m not there
- 1 Samuel 20:7 Lit. there will be peace for your servant
- 1 Samuel 20:7 Lit. that evil has been determined by him
- 1 Samuel 20:8 Lit. a covenant of the Lord
- 1 Samuel 20:12 The Heb. lacks is my witness
- 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit. it
- 1 Samuel 20:12 The Heb. lacks word
- 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit. reveal in your ear
- 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.
- 1 Samuel 20:16 Lit. may the Lord seek from the hand of David’s enemies
- 1 Samuel 20:19 Lit. on the day of the event
- 1 Samuel 20:20 The Heb. lacks of the rock
- 1 Samuel 20:21 Or boy
- 1 Samuel 20:21 The Heb. lacks saying
- 1 Samuel 20:21 Or boy
- 1 Samuel 20:21 Lit. thing
- 1 Samuel 20:23 Or look,
- 1 Samuel 20:23 The Heb. lacks a witness
- 1 Samuel 20:26 The Heb. lacks to himself
- 1 Samuel 20:29 Lit. if I have found favor in your eyes
- 1 Samuel 20:30 Lit. to the shame of your mother’s nakedness
- 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit. all the days that
- 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit. him
- 1 Samuel 20:33 Lit. him
- 1 Samuel 20:35 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. He
- 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit. he
- 1 Samuel 20:37 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:37 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:38 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:38 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:39 Lit. the matter
- 1 Samuel 20:40 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:41 Lit. young man
- 1 Samuel 20:41 The Heb. lacks of the rock
- 1 Samuel 20:42 This sentence is 21:1 in MT
- 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit. he
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
