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 Protects David
1David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? # 1Sm 24:9 What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life? ”
2Jonathan said to him, “No, you won’t die. Listen, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without telling me. # Lit without uncovering my ear So why would he hide this matter from me? This can’t be true.”
3But David said, “Your father certainly knows that you have come to look favorably on me. 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.” # 1Sm 25:26; 2Kg 2:6
4Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
5So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, # Nm 10:10; 28:11-15; Am 8:5 and I’m supposed to sit down and eat with the king. # 1Sm 20:24,27 Instead, let me go, and I’ll hide in the field until the third night. # 1Sm 19:2 6If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David urgently requested my permission to quickly go to his town Bethlehem # 1Sm 17:58 for an annual sacrifice # Dt 12:5 there involving the whole clan.’ 7If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he becomes angry, you will know he has evil intentions. 8Deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the Lord. # 1Sm 18:3; 20:16; 23:18 If I have done anything wrong, # 2Sm 14:32 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? ”
10So David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly? ”
11He answered David, “Come on, let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field. 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? # Lit and uncover your ear 13If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely # Ru 1:17; 1Sm 3:17 if I do not tell you # Lit will uncover your ears and send you away so you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you, # 1Sm 18:12 just as He was with my father. 14If I continue to live, treat me with the Lord’s faithful love, but if I die, 15don’t ever withdraw your faithful love from my household — not even when the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” # 2Sm 9:1 16Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, # 1Sm 18:3; 23:18 saying, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies accountable.” # Lit Lord require it from the hand of David’s enemies # Dt 23:21 17Jonathan once again swore to David # LXX; MT reads Jonathan once again made David swear in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. # 1Sm 18:1
18Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; # Nm 10:10 you’ll be missed because your seat will be empty. 19The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel. 20I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I’m aiming at a target. 21Then I will send the young man and say, ‘Go and find the arrows! ’ Now, if I expressly say to the young man, ‘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. 22But if I say this to the youth: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you! ’ # 1Sm 20:37 then go, for the Lord is sending you away. 23As for the matter you and I have spoken about, # 1Sm 20:14-15 the Lord will be a witness # LXX; MT omits a witness between you and me forever.” # Gn 31:49,53 24So David hid in the field.
At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal. 25He sat at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him # Text emended; MT reads Jonathan got up and Abner took his place beside Saul, but David’s place was empty. # 1Sm 20:18 26Saul 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.” # Lv 7:20-21; Nm 10:10
27However, 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? ”
28Jonathan answered, “David asked for my permission to go to Bethlehem. # 1Sm 20:6 29He 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 you are pleased with me, let me go so I can see my brothers.’ That’s why he didn’t come to the king’s table.”
30Then 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? # Lit your mother’s genitals 31Every day Jesse’s son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me — he deserves to die.” # 2Sm 12:5
32Jonathan answered his father back: “Why is he to be killed? What has he done? ” # 1Sm 19:5
33Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, # 1Sm 18:11; 19:10 so he knew that his father was determined to kill David. # 1Sm 20:7 34He got up from the table in fierce anger 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.
35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointed meeting with David. A small young man was with him. 36He said to the young man, “Run and find the arrows I’m shooting.” # 1Sm 20:20-21 As the young man ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37He 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? ” # 1Sm 20:22 38Then Jonathan called to him, “Hurry up and don’t stop! ” Jonathan’s young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. 40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
41When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. # Gn 42:6 Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more. # 1Sm 18:3
42Jonathan 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.” # The last sentence of v. 42 is 1Sm 21:1 in Hb. # 1Sm 20:15-23 Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city.
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