Berean Study Bible

English Standard Version

1Then 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?”

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And 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!”

2And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.”

3But 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.”

3But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

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

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

5So 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.

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

6If 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.’

6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’

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

7If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him.

8Therefore deal faithfully with 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?”

8Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is guilt 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?”

9And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?”

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

10Then 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,

11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

12and 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?

12And Jonathan said to David, “The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you?

13But 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.

13But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father.

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

14If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die;

15and 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.”

15and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

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

16And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.”

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

17And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

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

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

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

19On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.

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

20And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.

21Then 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.

21And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.

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

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

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

23And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”

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

24So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

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

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

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

26Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.”

27But 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?”

27But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

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

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

29saying, ‘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 did not come to the king’s table.”

29He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”

30Then 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 disgrace of the mother who bore you?

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

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

31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore 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?”

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

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

33But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

34Jonathan 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.

34And Jonathan rose 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 disgraced him.

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

35In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy.

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

36And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

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

37And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”

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

38And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.

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

39But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

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

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

41When 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.

41And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most.

42And 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.

42Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

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ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.