| New International Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 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?" | 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?” |
| 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!" | 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!” |
| 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." | 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.” |
| 4Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you." | 4Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.” |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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.' | 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.’ |
| 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. | 7If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions. |
| 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?" | 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?” |
| 9"Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?" | 9“Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?” |
| 10David asked, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" | 10Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” |
| 11"Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together. | 11“Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field, |
| 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? | 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? |
| 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. | 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. |
| 14But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, | 14And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, |
| 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." | 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.” |
| 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD call David's enemies to account." | 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” |
| 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. | 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. |
| 18Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. | 18Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed if your seat is empty. |
| 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. | 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. |
| 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. | 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 22But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, because the LORD has sent you away. | 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. |
| 23And about the matter you and I discussed--remember, the LORD is witness between you and me forever." | 23And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.” |
| 24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. | 24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat. |
| 25He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty. | 25He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty. |
| 26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean--surely he is unclean." | 26Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” |
| 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?" | 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?” |
| 28Jonathan answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. | 28Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem, |
| 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." | 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.” |
| 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? | 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? |
| 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!" | 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!” |
| 32"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. | 32“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?” |
| 33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. | 33Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill 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. | 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. |
| 35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, | 35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him. |
| 36and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. | 36He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. |
| 37When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?" | 37When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” |
| 38Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. | 38Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. |
| 39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) | 39But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. |
| 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town." | 40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.” |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
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