1 Samuel 20
20
1 Samuel 20
1¶ And David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity or what is my sin before thy father that he seeks my life?
2And he said unto him, No, in no wise; thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will show it me, and why should my father hide this thing from me? It shall not be so.
3And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith in himself, Let Jonathan not know this lest he be grieved; but truly as the Lord lives and as thy soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.
4Then Jonathan said unto David, Whatever thy soul saith, I will do it for thee.
5And David replied unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at food, but thou shalt let me go and hide myself in the field until the evening of the third day.
6If thy father at all misses me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem, his city, for all those of his lineage have an anniversary sacrifice.
7If he should say, It is well; thy slave shall have peace; but if he is very wroth, then be sure that the evil is determined in him.
8Therefore, thou shalt deal in mercy with thy slave, for thou hast brought thy slave into a covenant of the Lord with thee; notwithstanding, if there is iniquity in me, slay me thyself, for why should thou bring me to thy father?
9¶ And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee, for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would I not be obliged to show it to thee?
10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? Or what if thy father answers thee roughly?
11And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And both of them went out into the field.
12Then Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I shall have asked my father tomorrow at this time or after tomorrow and, behold, if there is good toward David and I then do not send unto thee and show it to thee,
13the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do thee evil, then I will show it to thee and send thee away that thou may go in peace; and the Lord be with thee as he has been with my father.
14And if I live, thou shalt show me the mercy of the Lord, but if I am dead,
15thou shalt not cut off thy mercy from my house for ever. When the Lord has cut off one by one the enemies of David from the face of the earth, remove even Jonathan from thy house if I fail thee and require it at the hand of David’s enemies.
16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.
17And Jonathan swore unto David again because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon, and thou shalt be missed because thy seat will be empty.
19And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the work and shalt remain by the stone Ezel;
20and I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof as though I shot at a mark.
21And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, then come thou, for there is peace unto thee and no hurt, as the Lord lives.
22But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, then go away, for the Lord has sent thee away.
23And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, let the Lord be between thee and me for ever.
24¶ So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon was come, the king sat down to eat bread.
25And the king sat upon his seat as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty.
26Nevertheless, Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
27And it came to pass on the next day, which was the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty, and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Why did not the son of Jesse come to food, neither yesterday nor today?
28And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
29And he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for those of our lineage have a sacrifice in the city, and my brother, he has commanded me to be there, and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he has not come unto the king’s table.
30Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion and unto the confusion of thy mother’s shame?
31For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the land, thou shalt not be established nor thy kingdom. Therefore, now send and bring him unto me, for he shall surely die.
32And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said unto him, Why shall he be slain? What has he done?
33And Saul cast a spear at him to smite him whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David and because his father had done him shame.
35¶ And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
36And he said unto his lad, Run and find the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
39But the lad did not understand anything; only Jonathan and David understood the matter.
40And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the Negev and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times, and they kissed one another and wept one with another, although David exceeded.
42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed, and Jonathan entered into the city.
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1 Samuel 20: JUB
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International
1 Kings 20
20
1But David fled from Najoth, which is in Ramatha, and came and said to Jonathan: What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin against thy father, that he seeketh my life?
2And he said to him: God forbid, thou shalt not die: for my father will do nothing great or little, without first telling me. Hath then my father hid this word only from me? No: this shall not be.
3And he swore again to David. And David said: Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight; and he will say: Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly as the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, there is but one step (as I may say) between me and death.
4And Jonathan said to David: Whatsoever thy soul shall say to me, I will do for thee.
5And David said to Jonathan: Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I according to custom am wont to sit beside the king to eat. Let me go then that I may be hid in the field till the evening of the third day.
6If thy father look and inquire for me, thou shalt answer him: David asked me that he might run to Bethlehem his own city: because there are solemn sacrifices there for all his tribe.
7If he shall say: It is well; thy servant shall have peace. But if he be angry, know that his malice is come to its height.
8Deal mercifully then with thy servant: for thou hast brought me thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee. But if there be any iniquity in me, do thou kill me, and bring me not in to thy father.
9And Jonathan said: Far be this from thee: for, if I should certainly know that evil is determined by my father against thee, I could do no otherwise than tell thee.
10And David answered Jonathan: Who shall bring me word, if thy father should answer thee harshly concerning me?
11And Jonathan said to David: Come and let us go out into the field. And when they were both of them gone out into the field,
12Jonathan said to David: O Lord God of Israel, if I shall discover my father's mind, to-morrow or the day after, and there be any thing good for David, and I send not immediately to thee, and make it known to thee,
13May the Lord do so and so to Jonathan, and add still more. But if my father shall continue in malice against thee, I will discover it to thy ear; and will send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
14And if I live, thou shalt shew me the kindness of the Lord: but if I die,
15Thou shalt not take away thy kindness from my house for ever, when the Lord shall have rooted out the enemies of David, every one of them from the earth. May he take away Jonathan from his house: and may the Lord require it at the hands of David's enemies.
16Jonathan therefore made a covenant with the house of David: and the Lord required it at the hands of David's enemies.
17And Jonathan swore again to David, because he loved him: for he loved him as his own soul.
18And Jonathan said to him: To-morrow is the new moon, and thou wilt be missed:
19For thy seat will be empty till after to-morrow. So thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place, where thou must be hid on the day when it is lawful to work; and thou shalt remain beside the stone, which is called Ezel.
20And I will shoot three arrows near it, and will shoot as if I were exercising myself at a mark.
21And I will send a boy, saying to him: Go and fetch me the arrows.
22If I shall say to the boy: Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them up: come thou to me, because there is peace to thee, and there is no evil, as the Lord liveth. But if I shall speak thus to the boy: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee: go in peace, for the Lord hath sent thee away.
23And concerning the word which I and thou have spoken, the Lord be between thee and me for ever.
24So David was hid in the field. And the new moon came: and the king sat down to eat bread.
25And when the king sat down upon his chair (according to custom) which was beside the wall Jonathan arose; and Abner sat by Saul's side; and David's place appeared empty.
26And Saul said nothing that day; for he thought it might have happened to him, that he was not clean, nor purified.
27And when the second day after the new moon was come, David's place appeared empty again. And Saul said to Jonathan his son: Why cometh not the son of Isai to meat neither yesterday nor to-day?
28And Jonathan answered Saul: He asked leave of me earnestly to go to Bethlehem.
29And he said: Let me go, for there is a solemn sacrifice in the city. One of my brethren hath sent for me; and now, if I have found favour in thy eyes, I will go quickly, and see my brethren. For this cause he came not to the king's table.
30Then Saul being angry against Jonathan said to him: Thou son of a woman that is the ravisher of a man, do I not know that thou lovest the son of Isai to thy own confusion and to the confusion of thy shameless mother?
31For as long as the son of Isai liveth upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Therefore now presently send, and fetch him to me: for he is the son of death.
32And Jonathan answering Saul his father said: Why shall he die? what hath he done?
33And Saul caught up a spear to strike him. And Jonathan understood that it was determined by his father to kill David.
34So Jonathan rose from the table in great anger, and did not eat bread on the second day after the new moon. For he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to confusion.
35And when the morning came Jonathan went into the field, according to the appointment with David, and a little boy with him.
36And he said to his boy: Go, and fetch me the arrows which I shoot. And when the boy ran, he shot another arrow beyond the boy.
37The boy therefore came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot: and Jonathan cried after the boy, and said: Behold, the arrow is there further beyond thee.
38And Jonathan cried again after the boy, saying: Make haste speedily. Stand not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and brought them to his master.
39And he knew not at all what was doing: for only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40Jonathan therefore gave his arms to the boy, and said to him: Go, and carry them into the city.
41And when the boy was gone, David rose out of his place, which was towards the south, and falling on his face to the ground; adored thrice. And kissing one another, they wept together, but David more.
42And Jonathan said to David: Go in peace. And let all stand that we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying: The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever.
43And David arose, and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.