1 Samuel 20 BSB ISV Parallel

◄ 1 Samuel 20 ►

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Berean Study Bible

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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?”

1David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he's determined to kill me?

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!”

2Jonathan told him, "Far from it! You won't die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me; so why should my father hide this thing from me? It's not like that!"

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.”

3David again took an oath: "Your father certainly knows that I've found favor with you, and so he told himself, 'Jonathan must not know this so he won't be upset.' But as certainly as the LORD is alive and living, and as certainly as I'm alive and living, too, there is only a step between me and death."

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

4Jonathan told David, "Whatever you say, I'll do."

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 told Jonathan, "Look, the New Moon is tomorrow, and I'm expected to sit down with the king to eat. Let me go so I can hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.

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 actually notices that I'm not there, then you are to say, 'David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.'

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,' then your servant will be safe. But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil.

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?”

8Now, show gracious kindness to your servant because you have entered into a sacred covenant with your servant. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself—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?”

9"Nonsense!" Jonathan replied. "If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?"

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

10Then David told Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

11“Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field,

11Then Jonathan told David, "Come, let's go into the field." So the two of them went 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?

12Jonathan told David, "The LORD God of Israel is my witness that I'll carefully question my father by tomorrow or the next day. And if the response is favorable for David, will I not then send word to you and let you know?

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 if my father intends to harm you, may the LORD strike me dead if I don't let you know and send you away so you may go safely. 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 remain alive, don't fail to show me the LORD's gracious love so that I don't 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 don't stop showing your gracious love to my family forever, not even when the LORD eliminates each of David's enemies from the surface of the earth."

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

16Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: "May the LORD punish any violation of this covenant by the hand of David's enemies."

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

17Jonathan made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.

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

18Jonathan told him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is 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 and come to the place where you hid earlier. Remain beside the rock at Ezel.

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

20I'll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as though I were shooting at a target.

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.

21Then I'll send a servant, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I specifically say to the servant, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,' then come out because it's safe for you, and, as surely as the LORD lives, 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 this to the young man: '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.”

23As for the matter about which you and I spoke, remember that the LORD is a witness between us forever."

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

24David hid in the field. When the New Moon arrived, the king sat down to eat.

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

25The king sat down at his place as before, in the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood while Abner sat next to Saul, 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.”

26Saul didn't say anything that day because he told himself, "Something has happened; he's unclean; surely he's 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 the next day, on the second day of the New Moon, David's place was empty, and so Saul told his son Jonathan, "Why didn't Jesse's son come to the festival, either yesterday or today?"

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

28Jonathan answered Saul, "David urgently requested that I let him 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, 'Please let me go because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to come. Now, if it's acceptable to you, please let me get away so I can see my brothers.' That's the reason he didn't 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?

30Saul flew into a rage and told Jonathan, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have chosen Jesse's son to your shame and to the shame of your mother who bore you?

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!”

31As long as Jesse's son lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established! Now send someone and bring David to me. He's a dead man!"

32“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”

32Jonathan asked his father Saul, "Why should he be killed? What did he do?"

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

33Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David.

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.

34So on the second day of the New Moon Jonathan angrily got up from the table without eating because he was upset about David, and because his father had humiliated 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, accompanied by a servant, went out to the field for the appointment with David.

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

36Jonathan told his servant, "Run, find the arrows that I'm shooting." As the servant ran, Jonathan shot the 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?”

37The servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot it, and Jonathan called out to him, "The arrow is beyond you, isn't it?"

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

38Jonathan called out to the servant, "Hurry, be quick, don't stand around." Jonathan's servant picked up the arrow and brought it to his master.

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

39The servant was not aware of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what had happened.

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

40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him and told him, "Go, take these things 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.

41The servant went. Then David came out from the south side of the rock, fell on his face, and bowed down three times. The men kissed each other, and both of them cried, but David even more.

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.

42Jonathan told David, "Go in peace since both of us swore in the name of the LORD: 'May the LORD be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'" Then David got up and left, while Jonathan went to the city.

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