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English Standard Version

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?

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

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!"

2And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.”

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."

3But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

4Jonathan told David, "Whatever you say, I'll do."

4Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

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.

5David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.

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.'

6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’

7If he says, 'Good,' then your servant will be safe. But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil.

7If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him.

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?"

8Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

9"Nonsense!" Jonathan replied. "If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?"

9And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?”

10Then David told 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 roughly?”

11Then Jonathan told David, "Come, let's go into the field." So the two of them went into the field.

11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

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?

12And 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 he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you?

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.

13But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father.

14If I remain alive, don't fail to show me the LORD's gracious love so that I don't die.

14If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die;

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."

15and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

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."

16And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.”

17Jonathan made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.

17And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18Jonathan told him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is 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 go down quickly and come to the place where you hid earlier. Remain beside the rock at Ezel.

19On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.

20I'll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as though I were shooting at a target.

20And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.

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.

21And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.

22But if I say this to the young man: 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go, for the LORD has sent you away.

22But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the LORD has sent you away.

23As for the matter about which you and I spoke, remember that the LORD is a witness between us forever."

23And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”

24David hid in the field. When the New Moon arrived, the king sat down to eat.

24So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

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.

25The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

26Saul didn't say anything that day because he told himself, "Something has happened; he's unclean; surely he's not clean."

26Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.”

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?"

27But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

28Jonathan answered Saul, "David urgently requested that I let him go to Bethlehem.

28Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

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."

29He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”

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?

30Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?

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!"

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

32Jonathan asked his father Saul, "Why should he be killed? What did he do?"

32Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

33Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David.

33But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

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.

34And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.

35In the morning Jonathan, accompanied by a servant, went out to the field for the appointment with David.

35In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy.

36Jonathan told his servant, "Run, find the arrows that I'm shooting." As the servant ran, Jonathan shot the arrow beyond him.

36And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

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?"

37And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”

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.

38And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.

39The servant was not aware of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what had happened.

39But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him and told him, "Go, take these things to the city."

40And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.”

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.

41And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most.

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.

42Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.