NET Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

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!"

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking 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!"

2He said to him, "Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!"

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!"

3Yet David vowed again, saying, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But truly as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death."

4Jonathan replied to David, "Tell me what I can do for you."

4Then Jonathan 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 said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.

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.'

6"If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, because it is the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.'

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.

7"If he says, 'It is good,' your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided on 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?"

8"Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then 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?"

9Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?"

10David said to 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 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,

11Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into 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?

12Then 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 there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known to 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.

13"If it please my father to do you harm, may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And 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!

14"If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not 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

15"You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth."

16and called David's enemies to account." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.

16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD require it at the hands 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 because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.

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, and you will 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.

19"When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel.

20I will shoot three arrows near it, as though I were shooting at a target.

20"I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot 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.

21"And behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I specifically say to the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,' then come; for there is safety for you and no harm, as the LORD lives.

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.

22"But if I say to the youth, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you,' 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!"

23"As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is 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; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

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 on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan rose up and Abner sat down by Saul's side, 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."

26Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he thought, "It is an accident, he is not clean, surely he is 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?"

27It came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David's place was empty; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

28Jonathan replied to Saul, "David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem.

28Jonathan then answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me 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."

29for he said, 'Please let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. And now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.' For this reason he has not 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's anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

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!"

31"For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die."

32Jonathan responded to his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

32But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? 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 hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.

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.

34Then Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David because his father had dishonored him.

35The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David.

35Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little lad 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 his lad, "Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot." As the lad was running, he shot an arrow past 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?"

37When the lad reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?"

38Jonathan called out to the servant, "Hurry! Go faster! Don't delay!" Jonathan's servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master.

38And Jonathan called after the lad, "Hurry, be quick, do not stay!" And Jonathan's lad picked up the arrow and came to his master.

39(Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.)

39But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

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 weapons to his lad and said to him, "Go, bring them 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 lad was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David wept the 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 said to David, "Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'" Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org