1 Samuel 20

1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?”

1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

2 “Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!”

2 He said to him, “Far from it; you will not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me. Why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.”

3 But David again vowed, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.’ As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”

3 David swore moreover, and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved;’ but truly as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

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

4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you.”

5 So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now.

5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.

6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for his whole clan.’

6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem, his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’

7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions.

7 If he says, ‘It is well,’ your servant shall have peace; but if he is angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

8 Therefore show kindness to your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?”

8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you; but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

9 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?”

9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn’t I tell you that?”

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

10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?”

11 “Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field,

11 Jonathan said to David, “Come! Let’s go out into the field.” They both went out into the field.

12 and Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?

12 Jonathan said to David, “By Yahweh, the God of Israel, when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, won’t I then send to you and disclose it to you?

13 But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father.

13 Yahweh do so to Jonathan and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I don’t disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in peace. May Yahweh be with you as he has been with my father.

14 And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,

14 You shall not only show me the loving kindness of Yahweh while I still live, that I not die;

15 and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

15 but you shall also not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when Yahweh has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the surface of the earth.”

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with David’s house, saying, “Yahweh will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

17 Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had for him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

19 When you have stayed three days, hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and remain beside the stone Ezel.

19 When you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and remain by the stone Ezel.

20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.

20 I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.

21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you, and there is no danger.

21 Behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ If I tell the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;’ then come, for there is peace to you and no danger, as Yahweh lives.

22 But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away.

22 But if I say this to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go your way, for Yahweh has sent you away.

23 And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”

23 Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”

24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat.

24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon had come, the king sat himself down to eat food.

25 He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty.

25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

26 Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”

26 Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean.”

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

27 On the next day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why didn’t the son of Jesse come to eat, either yesterday, or today?”

28 Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem,

28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.

29 saying, ‘Please let me go, because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

29 He said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?

30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don’t I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?

31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!”

31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established, nor will your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!”

32 “Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”

32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.

33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the month, for he was grieved by his father’s shameful treatment of David.

34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him.

35 In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.

36 He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

36 He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37 When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”

37 When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”

38 Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.

38 Jonathan cried after the boy, “Go fast! Hurry! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39 But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.

39 But the boy didn’t know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”

40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

41 When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.

41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another and wept with one another, and David wept the most.

42 And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.

42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in Yahweh’s name, saying, ‘Yahweh is between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.