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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1 Kings 20: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Samuel 20
20
Jonathan Seeks to Protect David
1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked,#tn Heb “and he came and said before Jonathan.” “What have I done? What is my offense?#tn Heb “What is my guilt?” How have I sinned before your father? For he is seeking my life!”
2 Jonathan#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to him, “By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing#tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and the ancient versions in reading “he will not do,” rather than the Kethib of the MT (“do to him”). large or small without making me aware of it.#tn Heb “without uncovering my ear.” Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”
3 Taking an oath, David again#tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta lack the word “again.” said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact#tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis. that I have found favor with you, and he has thought,#tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. So also in v. 25. ‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!” 4 Jonathan replied to David, “Tell me what I can do for you.”#tn Heb “whatever your soul says, I will do for you.”
5 David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly expected to join the king for a meal.#tn Heb “and I must surely sit with the king to eat.” The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis. You must send me away so I can hide in the field until the third evening from now. 6 If your father happens to miss me, you should say, ‘David urgently requested me to let him go#tn Heb “to run.” to his city Bethlehem,#map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4. for there is an annual sacrifice there for his entire family.’ 7 If he should then say, ‘That’s fine,’#tn Heb “good.” then your servant is safe. But if he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me.#tn Heb “know that the evil is completed from with him.” 8 You must be loyal#tn Heb “and you must do loyalty.” to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the Lord’s name.#tn Heb “for into a covenant of the Lord you have brought your servant with you.” If I am guilty,#tn Heb “and if there is in me guilt.” you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?”
9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?” 10 David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” 11 Jonathan said to David, “Come on. Let’s go out to the field.”
When the two of them had gone out into the field, 12 Jonathan said to David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness.#tc The Hebrew text has simply “the Lord God of Israel.” On the basis of the Syriac version, many reconstruct the text to read “[is] my witness,” which may have fallen out of the text by homoioarcton (an error which is entirely possible if עֵד, ’ed, “witness,” immediately followed ַָדוִד, “David,” in the original text). I will feel out my father about this time the day after tomorrow. If he is favorably inclined toward David, will I not then send word to you and let you know?#tn Heb “and uncover your ear.” 13 But if my father intends to do you harm, may the Lord do all this and more to Jonathan, if I don’t let you know#tn Heb “uncover your ear.” and send word to you so you can go safely on your way.#tn Heb “in peace.” May the Lord be with you, as he was with my father. 14 While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the Lord, or else I will die! 15 Don’t ever cut off your loyalty to my family, not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth 16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant#tn Heb “cut.” The object of the verb (“covenant”) must be supplied. with the house of David.#tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text, which reads “and Jonathan cut with the house of David, and the Lord will seek from the hand of the enemies of David.” The translation assumes that the main clauses of the verse have been accidentally transposed in the course of transmission. The first part of the verse (as it stands in MT) belongs with v. 17, while the second part of the verse actually continues v. 15. 17 Jonathan once again took an oath with David, because he loved him. In fact Jonathan loved him as much as he did his own life.#tn Heb “for [with] the love of his [own] life he loved him.” 18 Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day#tc Heb “you will do [something] a third time.” The translation assumes an emendation of the verb from שִׁלַּשְׁתָּ (shillashta, “to do a third time”) to שִׁלִּישִׁית (shillishit, “[on the] third [day]”). you should go down quickly#tn Heb “you must go down greatly.” See Judg 19:11 for the same idiom. and come to the place where you hid yourself the day this all started.#tn Heb “on the day of the deed.” This probably refers to the incident recorded in 19:2. Stay near the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows near it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 When I send a boy after them, I will say, “Go and find the arrows.” If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you;#tn Heb “from you and here.” get them,’ then come back. For as surely as the Lord lives, you will be safe and there will no problem. 22 But if I say to the boy, “Look, the arrows are on the other side of you,’#tn Heb “from you and onward.” get away. For in that case the Lord has sent you away. 23 With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the Lord is the witness between us forever!”#tc Heb “the Lord [is] between me and between you forever.” The translation assumes that the original text read עֵד עַד־עוֹלָם (’ed ’ad-’olam), “a witness forever,” with the noun “a witness” accidentally falling out of the text by haplography. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 338.
24 So David hid in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat his meal. 25 The king sat down in his usual place by the wall, with Jonathan opposite him#tc Heb “and Jonathan arose.” Instead of MT’s וַיָּקָם (vayyaqam, “and he arose”; from the hollow verbal root קוּם, qum), the translation assumes a reading וַיִּקַדֵּם (vayyiqaddem, “and he was in front of”; from the verbal root קדם, qdm). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 338. and Abner at his side.#tn Heb “and Abner sat at the side of Saul.” But David’s place was vacant. 26 However, Saul said nothing about it#tn The words “about it” are not present in the Hebrew text, although they are implied. that day, for he thought,#tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. “Something has happened to make him ceremonially unclean. Yes, he must be unclean.” 27 But the next morning, the second day of the new moon, David’s place was still vacant. So Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has Jesse’s son not come to the meal yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan replied to Saul, “David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Permit me to go,#tn Heb “send me.” for we are having a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother urged#tn Heb “commanded.” me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go#tn Heb “be released [from duty].” to see my brothers.’ For that reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Saul became angry with Jonathan#tc Many medieval Hebrew mss include the words “his son” here. and said to him, “You stupid traitor!#tn Heb “son of a perverse woman of rebelliousness.” But such an overly literal and domesticated translation of the Hebrew expression fails to capture the force of Saul’s unrestrained reaction. Saul, now incensed and enraged over Jonathan’s liaison with David, is actually hurling very coarse and emotionally charged words at his son. The translation of this phrase suggested by Koehler and Baumgartner is “bastard of a wayward woman” (HALOT 796 s.v. עוה), but this is not an expression commonly used in English. A better English approximation of the sentiments expressed here by the Hebrew phrase would be “You stupid son of a bitch!” However, sensitivity to the various public formats in which the Bible is read aloud has led to a less startling English rendering which focuses on the semantic value of Saul’s utterance (i.e., the behavior of his own son Jonathan, which he viewed as both a personal and a political betrayal [= “traitor”]). But this concession should not obscure the fact that Saul is full of bitterness and frustration. That he would address his son Jonathan with such language, not to mention his apparent readiness even to kill his own son over this friendship with David (v. 33), indicates something of the extreme depth of Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David. Don’t I realize that to your own disgrace and to the disgrace of your mother’s nakedness you have chosen this son of Jesse? 31 For as long as#tn Heb “all the days that.” this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. Now, send some men#tn The words “some men” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. and bring him to me. For he is as good as dead!”#tn Heb “a son of death.”
32 Jonathan responded to his father Saul, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan#tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity. in order to strike him down. So Jonathan was convinced#tn Heb “knew.” that his father had decided to kill David. 34 Jonathan got up from the table enraged. He did not eat any food on that second day of the new moon, for he was upset that his father had humiliated David.#tn Heb “for he was upset concerning David for his father had humiliated him.” The referent of the pronoun “him” is not entirely clear, but the phrase “concerning David” suggests that it refers to David, rather than Jonathan.
35 The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David. 36 He said to his servant, “Run, find the arrows that I am about to shoot.” As the servant ran, Jonathan#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity. shot the arrow beyond him. 37 When the servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan called out to#tn Heb “called after” (also in v. 38). the servant, “Isn’t the arrow further beyond you?” 38 Jonathan called out to the servant, “Hurry! Go faster! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master. 39 (Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.)#tn Heb “knew the matter.” 40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him. He said to him, “Go, take these things back to the city.”
41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound,#tc The translation follows the LXX in reading “the mound,” rather than the MT’s “the south.” It is hard to see what meaning the MT reading “from beside the south” would have as it stands, since such a location lacks specificity. The NIV treats it as an elliptical expression, rendering the phrase as “from the south side of the stone (rock NCV).” This is perhaps possible, but it seems better to follow the LXX rather than the MT here. knelt#tn Heb “fell.” with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David. 42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn together in the name of the Lord saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”
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