| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my offense? How have I sinned before your father? For he is seeking my life!" | 1David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life?" |
| 2Jonathan said to him, "By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing large or small without making me aware of it. Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won't happen!" | 2Jonathan said to him, "No, you won't die. Listen, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This can't be true." |
| 3Taking an oath, David again said, "Your father is very much aware of the fact that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, '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!" | 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." |
| 4Jonathan replied to David, "Tell me what I can do for you." | 4Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." |
| 5David said to Jonathan, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly expected to join the king for a meal. You must send me away so I can hide in the field until the third evening from now. | 5So David told him, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I'm supposed to sit down and eat with the king. Instead, let me go, and I'll hide in the field until the third night. |
| 6If your father happens to miss me, you should say, 'David urgently requested me to let him go to his city Bethlehem, for there is an annual sacrifice there for his entire family.' | 6If your father misses me at all, say, 'David urgently requested my permission to quickly go to his town Bethlehem for an annual sacrifice there involving the whole clan.' |
| 7If he should then say, 'That's fine,' then your servant is safe. But if he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me. | 7If he says, 'Good,' then your servant is safe, but if he becomes angry, you will know he has evil intentions. |
| 8You must be loyal to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the LORD's name. If I am guilty, you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?" | 8Deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I have done anything wrong, then kill me yourself; why take me to your father?" |
| 9Jonathan 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?" | 9"No!" Jonathan responded. "If I ever find out my father has evil intentions against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?" |
| 10David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" | 10So David asked Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" |
| 11Jonathan said to David, "Come on. Let's go out to the field." When the two of them had gone out into the field, | 11He answered David, "Come on, let's go out to the field." So both of them went out to the field. |
| 12Jonathan said to David, "The LORD God of Israel is my witness. 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? | 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? |
| 13But 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 and send word to you so you can go safely on your way. May the LORD be with you, as he was with my father. | 13If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely if I do not tell you and send you away so you may go in peace. May the LORD be with you, just as He was with my father. |
| 14While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the LORD, or else I will die! | 14If I continue to live, treat me with the LORD's faithful love, but if I die, |
| 15Don'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 | 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." |
| 16and called David's enemies to account." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. | 16Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD hold David's enemies accountable." |
| 17Jonathan once again took an oath with David, because he loved him. In fact Jonathan loved him as much as he did his own life. | 17Jonathan once again swore to David in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. |
| 18Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. | 18Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon; you'll be missed because your seat will be empty. |
| 19On the third day you should go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself the day this all started. Stay near the stone Ezel. | 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 near it, as though I were shooting at a target. | 20I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I'm aiming at a target. |
| 21When 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; get them,' then come back. For as surely as the LORD lives, you will be safe and there will no problem. | 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 to the boy, "Look, the arrows are on the other side of you,' get away. For in that case the LORD has sent you away. | 22But if I say this to the youth: 'Look, the arrows are beyond you!' then go, for the LORD is sending you away. |
| 23With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the LORD is the witness between us forever!" | 23As for the matter you and I have spoken about, the LORD will be a witness between you and me forever." |
| 24So David hid in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat his meal. | 24So David hid in the field. At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal. |
| 25The king sat down in his usual place by the wall, with Jonathan opposite him and Abner at his side. But David's place was vacant. | 25He sat at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him and Abner took his place beside Saul, but David's place was empty. |
| 26However, Saul said nothing about it that day, for he thought, "Something has happened to make him ceremonially unclean. Yes, he must be unclean." | 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." |
| 27But 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?" | 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 replied to Saul, "David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem. | 28Jonathan answered, "David asked for my permission to go to Bethlehem. |
| 29He said, 'Permit me to go, for we are having a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother urged me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go to see my brothers.' For that reason he has not come to the king's table." | 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." |
| 30Saul became angry with Jonathan and said to him, "You stupid traitor! 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? | 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? |
| 31For as long as this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. Now, send some men and bring him to me. For he is as good as dead!" | 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." |
| 32Jonathan responded to his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" | 32Jonathan answered his father back: "Why is he to be killed? What has he done?" |
| 33Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan in order to strike him down. So Jonathan was convinced that his father had decided to kill David. | 33Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he knew that his father was determined to kill David. |
| 34Jonathan 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. | 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. |
| 35The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet 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 his servant, "Run, find the arrows that I am about to shoot." As the servant ran, Jonathan shot the arrow beyond him. | 36He said to the young man, "Run and find the arrows I'm shooting." As the young man ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. |
| 37When the servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan called out to the servant, "Isn't the arrow further beyond you?" | 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?" |
| 38Jonathan called out to the servant, "Hurry! Go faster! Don't delay!" Jonathan's servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master. | 38Then Jonathan called to him, "Hurry up and don't stop!" Jonathan's young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master. |
| 39(Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.) | 39He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. |
| 40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him. He said to him, "Go, take these things back to the city." | 40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, "Go, take it back to the city." |
| 41When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, knelt with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David. | 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. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more. |
| 42Jonathan 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.'" Then David got up and left, while Jonathan went back to the city. | 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." Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city. |
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