| NET Bible | New International 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!" | 1Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying 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!" | 2"Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't 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!" | 3But David took an oath and said, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, 'Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death." |
| 4Jonathan replied to David, "Tell me what I can do for you." | 4Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll 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, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and 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 misses me at all, tell him, 'David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his 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, 'Very well,' then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. |
| 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?" | 8As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over 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"Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?" |
| 10David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" | 10David asked, "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, | 11"Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together. |
| 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, "I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word 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 deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. 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! | 14But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, |
| 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 do not ever cut off your kindness from my family--not even when the LORD has cut 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. | 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD call David's enemies to account." |
| 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. | 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of 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 David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. 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. | 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. |
| 20I will shoot three arrows near it, as though I were shooting at a target. | 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, 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 will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, as surely as the LORD lives, you are safe; 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 to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, because the LORD has sent you away. |
| 23With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the LORD is the witness between us forever!" | 23And about the matter you and I discussed--remember, the LORD is 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, and when the New Moon feast came, 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. | 25He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and 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 said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean--surely 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?" | 27But the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse 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 earnestly asked me for 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, 'Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why 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? | 30Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the 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 the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!" |
| 32Jonathan responded to his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" | 32"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. |
| 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. | 33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended 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. | 34Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of 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 his meeting with David. He had a small boy 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. | 36and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he 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?" | 37When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't 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. | 38Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy 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.) | 39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) |
| 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 the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town." |
| 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. | 41After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together--but David wept the most. |
| 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 peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'" Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. |
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