1 Samuel 20
20
David Makes a Promise to Jonathan
1David fled from the pastures at Ramah, came to Jonathan, and asked, “What have I done? What crime am I guilty of? What sin have I committed against your father that he’s trying to kill me?”
2Jonathan answered, “That’s unthinkable! You’re not going to die! My father does nothing without telling me, whether it’s important or not. Why should my father hide this from me? It’s just not that way.”
3But David took an oath, saying, “Your father certainly knows that you support me, so he said ⌞to himself⌟, ‘Jonathan must not know about this. It will bring him distress.’ But I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, I’m only one step away from death.”
4Jonathan said to David, “I’ll do whatever you say.”
5David replied, “Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, when I should sit and eat at the king’s ⌞table⌟. But let me go and hide in the countryside for two more nights. 6If your father really misses me, tell him, ‘David repeatedly begged me to let him run to Bethlehem, his hometown, because his relatives are offering the annual sacrifice there.’ 7If he says, ‘Good!’ then I will be safe. But if he gets really angry, then you’ll know for sure that he has decided to harm me. 8Now, be kind to me. After all, you forced me into an agreement with the Lord. If I have committed any crime, kill me yourself. Why bother taking me to your father?”
9Jonathan answered, “That’s unthinkable! If I knew for sure that my father had decided to harm you, I would have told you about it.”
10Then David asked, “Who will tell me whether or not your father gives you a harsh answer?”
11Jonathan said, “Let’s go out into the country.” So they went out into the country.
12“As the Lord God of Israel ⌞is my witness⌟,” Jonathan continued, “I’ll find out in the next two or three days how my father feels about you. If he does feel kindly toward you, then I will send someone to tell you. 13If my father plans to harm you and I fail to tell you and send you away safely, may the Lord harm me even more. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father. 14But as long as I live, ⌞promise me that you will⌟ show me kindness because of the Lord. And even when I die, 15never stop being kind to my family. The Lord will wipe each of David’s enemies off the face of the earth. 16At that time, if Jonathan’s name #20:16 Greek; Masoretic Text omits “name.” is cut off from David’s family, then may the Lord punish David’s house.” #20:16 Ancient scribal tradition; Masoretic Text “punish David’s enemies.” At times some scribes would alter the text when they thought it was disrespectful.
17Once again Jonathan swore an oath to David because of his love for David. He loved David as much as ⌞he loved⌟ himself. 18“Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival,” Jonathan told him, “and you will be missed when your seat is empty. 19The day after tomorrow you will be missed even more. So go to the place where you hid on that other occasion, and stay by the rock. 20I will shoot three arrows from beside it toward a target. 21Then I will send out a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ Now, if I tell the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are next to you; get them,’ then come ⌞back with me⌟. You will be safe, and there will be no trouble. I swear it, as the Lord lives. 22But if I tell the boy, ‘The arrows are next to you,’ then go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23We have made a promise to each other, and the Lord is ⌞a witness⌟ between you and me forever.”
24So David hid in the countryside. When the New Moon Festival came, King Saul sat down to eat the festival meal. 25He sat in his usual seat by the wall, while Jonathan stood. Abner sat beside Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26Saul didn’t say anything that day, thinking, “Something has happened to him so that he’s unclean.#20:26 “Unclean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God. He must be unclean.” 27But on the second day of the month, David’s place was still empty.
Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal either yesterday or today?”
28Jonathan answered Saul, “David repeatedly begged me ⌞to let him go⌟ to Bethlehem. 29David said to me ‘Please let me go. Our relatives will offer a sacrifice in the city, and my brother ordered me to be there. If you will permit it, please let me go to see my brothers.’ This is why he hasn’t come to your banquet.”
30Then Saul got angry with Jonathan. “Son of a crooked and rebellious woman!” he called Jonathan. “I know you’ve sided with Jesse’s son. You have no shame. ⌞You act⌟ as if you are your mother’s son but not mine. 31As long as Jesse’s son lives on earth, neither you nor your right to be king is secure. Now, send some men to bring him to me. He’s a dead man!”
32Jonathan asked his father, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?”
33Saul raised his spear to strike him. Then Jonathan knew his father was determined to kill David. 34Jonathan got up from the table very angry and ate nothing that second day of the month. He was worried sick about David because Jonathan had been humiliated by his own father.
35In the morning Jonathan went out to the country to the place he and David had agreed on. Jonathan had a young boy with him. 36“Run,” he told the boy, “please find the arrows I shoot.”
The boy ran, and Jonathan shot the arrow over him. 37When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow ⌞had landed⌟, Jonathan called after him, “The arrows are next to you!” 38Jonathan added, “Quick! Hurry up! Don’t stand there!” Jonathan’s young servant gathered the arrows and came to his master. 39The boy had no idea what was going on, but Jonathan and David understood. 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy. He told the boy, “Take them back into town.”
41When the boy had left, David came out from the south side ⌞of the rock⌟ and quickly bowed down three times with his face touching the ground. Then they kissed each other and cried together, but David cried the loudest.
42“Go in peace!” Jonathan told David. “We have both taken an oath in the Lord’s name, saying, ‘The Lord will be ⌞a witness⌟ between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’ ” #20:42 1 Samuel 20:42b in English Bibles is 1 Samuel 21:1 in the Hebrew Bible.
So David left, and Jonathan went into the city.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
1 Samuel 20
20
David Consults with Jonathan. 1David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went to Jonathan. “What have I done?” he asked him. “What crime or what offense does your father hold against me that he seeks my life?”#1 Sm 19:1–7, 11–17; 21:11; 27:4; Gn 31:36. 2Jonathan answered him: “Heaven forbid that you should die! My father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. Why, then, should my father conceal this from me? It cannot be true!” 3But David replied: “Your father is well aware that I am favored with your friendship, so he has decided, ‘Jonathan must not know about this or he will be grieved.’ Nevertheless, as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.” 4Jonathan then said to David, “I will do whatever you say.” 5David answered: “Tomorrow is the new moon, when I should in fact dine with the king. Let me go and hide in the open country until evening.#Nm 10:10; 28:11–15; Ezr 3:5; Neh 10:34. 6If it turns out that your father misses me, say, ‘David urged me to let him go on short notice to his city Bethlehem, because his whole clan is holding its seasonal sacrifice there.’#1 Sm 17:12. 7If he says, ‘Very well,’ your servant is safe. But if he becomes quite angry, you can be sure he has planned some harm. 8#1 Sm 18:3; 23:17–18. Do this kindness for your servant because of the Lord’s covenant into which you brought us: if I am guilty, kill me yourself! Why should you give me up to your father?” 9But Jonathan answered: “Not I! If ever I find out that my father is determined to harm you, I will certainly let you know.” 10David then asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father gives you a harsh answer?”
Mutual Agreement. 11Jonathan replied to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” When they were out in the open country together, 12Jonathan said to David: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, I will sound out my father about this time tomorrow. Whether he is well disposed toward David or not, I will inform you. 13#1 Sm 10:7; 17:37; 18:12, 14; 24:22–23; 2 Sm 9:1–13; 21:7. Should it please my father to bring any harm upon you, may the Lord do thus to Jonathan and more,#See note on 3:17. if I do not inform you of it and send you on your way in peace. May the Lord be with you even as he was with my father. 14Only this: if I am still alive, may you show me the kindness of the Lord. But if I die, 15never cut off your kindness from my house. And when the Lord cuts off all the enemies of David from the face of the land, 16the name of Jonathan must never be cut off from the family of David, or the Lord will make you answer for it.” 17And in his love for David, Jonathan renewed his oath to him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
18Jonathan then said to him: “Tomorrow is the new moon; you will be missed, since your place will be vacant. 19On the third day you will be missed all the more. Go to the spot where you hid on the other occasion and wait near the mound there.#1 Sm 19:1–7. 20On the third day of the month I will shoot arrows to the side of it, as though aiming at a target. 21I will then send my attendant to recover the arrows. If in fact I say to him, ‘Look, the arrow is this side of you; pick it up,’ come, for you are safe. As the Lord lives, there will be nothing to fear. 22But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrow is beyond you,’ go, for the Lord sends you away. 23However, in the matter which you and I have discussed, the Lord shall be between you and me forever.” 24So David hid in the open country.
David’s Absence. On the day of the new moon, when the king sat down at the feast to dine, 25he took his usual place against the wall. Jonathan sat facing him, while Abner sat at the king’s side. David’s place was vacant. 26#1 Sm 16:5; Lv 7:20–21; 15:1–3. Saul, however, said nothing that day, for he thought, “He must have become unclean by accident.”#The meal on the first day of the month would have had religious overtones, and a ritual impurity (Lv 15:16; Dt 23:10–12) would have barred David from sharing in it. 27On the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was still vacant. So Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to table yesterday or today?” 28Jonathan explained to Saul: “David pleaded with me to let him go to Bethlehem. 29‘Please let me go,’ he begged, ‘for we are having a clan sacrifice in our city, and my brothers insist on my presence. Now then, if you think well of me, give me leave to visit my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.” 30But Saul grew angry with Jonathan and said to him: “Son of a rebellious woman, do I not know that, to your own disgrace and to the disgrace of your mother’s nakedness, you are the companion of Jesse’s son? 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, you cannot make good your claim to the kingship!#Your claim to the kingship: Saul admits his intention that Jonathan should succeed him and that David is a threat to his lineage (cf. 23:17). However Jonathan has already acknowledged David’s kingship (18:3–4) and his own subservient role (20:13–16). Now send for him, and bring him to me, for he must die.”#2 Sm 12:5. 32But Jonathan argued with his father Saul: “Why should he die? What has he done?” 33At this Saul brandished his spear to strike him, and thus Jonathan learned that his father was determined to kill David.#1 Sm 18:11. 34Jonathan sprang up from the table in a rage and ate nothing that second day of the month, because he was grieved on David’s account, and because his father had humiliated him.
Jonathan’s Farewell. 35The next morning Jonathan, accompanied by a young boy, went out into the field for his appointment with David. 36There he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows.” And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow past him. 37When the boy made for the spot where Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan called after him, “The arrow is farther on!” 38Again he called to the boy, “Hurry, be quick, don’t delay!” Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrow and brought it to his master. 39The boy suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David knew what was meant. 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, take them to the city.” 41When the boy had gone, David rose from beside the mound and fell on his face to the ground three times in homage. They kissed each other and wept aloud together. 42#2 Sm 9:1; 21:7. At length Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, in keeping with what the two of us have sworn by the name of the Lord: ‘The Lord shall be between you and me, and between your offspring and mine forever.’”
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