1 Samuel 20
Christian Standard Bible
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 20:5 Lit countryside until the third night
- 20:8 Or Show loyalty to
- 20:14 Or loyalty, also in v. 15
- 20:16 Lit Lord require it from the hand of David’s enemies
- 20:17 LXX; MT reads Jonathan once again made David swear
- 20:23 LXX; MT omits a witness
- 20:25 Text emended; MT reads Jonathan got up
- 20:30 Lit your mother’s nakedness
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 20:1 Lit before
- 1 Samuel 20:2 Lit and he does not uncover my ear
- 1 Samuel 20:3 Lit and said
- 1 Samuel 20:3 Lit about
- 1 Samuel 20:4 Lit your soul says
- 1 Samuel 20:7 Lit says thus
- 1 Samuel 20:8 Lit guilt exists in me
- 1 Samuel 20:9 Lit evil to come on
- 1 Samuel 20:10 As in ancient versions; MT or what your father
- 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit David
- 1 Samuel 20:12 Lit uncover your ear
- 1 Samuel 20:13 Lit Jonathan
- 1 Samuel 20:13 Lit uncover your ear
- 1 Samuel 20:22 Lit say thus
- 1 Samuel 20:23 Lit word
- 1 Samuel 20:26 I.e., accident of ritual pollution
- 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit all the days which
- 1 Samuel 20:31 Lit a son of death
- 1 Samuel 20:36 Lit the
- 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit to peace
- 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit seed
- 1 Samuel 20:42 Lit seed
- 1 Samuel 20:42 Ch 21:1 in Heb
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