| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 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. 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? |
| 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 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!" |
| 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!" | 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." |
| 4Jonathan replied to David, "Tell me what I can do for you." | 4Jonathan told David, "Whatever you say, I'll do." |
| 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. | 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 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 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 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 will be safe. But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil. |
| 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?" | 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?" |
| 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"Nonsense!" Jonathan replied. "If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?" |
| 10David said to 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?" |
| 11Jonathan said to David, "Come on. Let's go out to the field." When the two of them had gone out into the field, | 11Then Jonathan told David, "Come, let's go into the field." So the two of them went into 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? | 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 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. | 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. |
| 14While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the LORD, or else I will die! | 14If I remain alive, don't fail to show me the LORD's gracious love so that I don't 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 | 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." |
| 16and called David's enemies to account." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. | 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." |
| 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 made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself. |
| 18Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. | 18Jonathan told him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is 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. | 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 near it, as though I were shooting at a target. | 20I'll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as though I were shooting 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'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 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 young man: 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go, for the LORD has sent you away. |
| 23With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the LORD is the witness between us 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. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat his meal. | 24David hid in the field. When the New Moon arrived, the king sat down to eat. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 didn't say anything that day because he told himself, "Something has happened; he's unclean; surely he's not clean." |
| 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?" | 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 replied to Saul, "David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem. | 28Jonathan answered Saul, "David urgently requested that I let him 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 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." |
| 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? | 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 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!" | 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!" |
| 32Jonathan responded to his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" | 32Jonathan asked his father Saul, "Why should he be killed? What did he do?" |
| 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 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 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. | 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. |
| 35The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David. | 35In the morning Jonathan, accompanied by a servant, went out to the field for the appointment with David. |
| 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. | 36Jonathan told his servant, "Run, find the arrows that I'm shooting." As the servant ran, Jonathan shot the 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?" | 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?" |
| 38Jonathan called out to the servant, "Hurry! Go faster! Don't delay!" Jonathan's servant retrieved the arrow and came back 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. |
| 39(Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.) | 39The servant was not aware of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what had happened. |
| 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 servant who was with him and told him, "Go, take these things 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. | 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. |
| 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 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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