| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 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, 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?" |
| 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!" | 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!" |
| 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." | 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 said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you." | 4Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, 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 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 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.' | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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?" | 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?" |
| 9"Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?" | 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 asked, "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?" |
| 11"Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together. | 11Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." So both of them went out to 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? | 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 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. | 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. |
| 14But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, | 14"If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, 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." | 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." |
| 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 require it at the hands of David's enemies." |
| 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. | 17Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life. |
| 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 him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. |
| 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by 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 to the side of 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. |
| 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. | 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 beyond you,' then you must go, because 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. |
| 23And about the matter you and I discussed--remember, the LORD is witness between you and me 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, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. | 24So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. |
| 25He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty. | 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. |
| 26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean--surely he is 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 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?" | 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 answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. | 28Jonathan then answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me 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." | 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'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, 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? |
| 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!" | 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." |
| 32"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. | 32But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? 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 him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, | 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. |
| 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 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 boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow 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?" |
| 38Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned 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(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) | 39But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. |
| 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town." | 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, "Go, bring them 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 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 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. | 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. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | 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 |
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