New American Standard Bible 1995

International Standard Version

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?"

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?

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!"

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!"

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."

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."

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

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

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.

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.

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.'

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.'

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.

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

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?"

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?"

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?"

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

10Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

10Then David told Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

11Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." So both of them went out to the field.

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

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?

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?

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.

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.

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

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

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."

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."

16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD require it at the hands of David's enemies."

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."

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

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

18Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty.

18Jonathan told him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is empty.

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.

19On the third day go down quickly and come to the place where you hid earlier. Remain beside the rock at Ezel.

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

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

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.

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.

22"But if I say to the youth, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you,' go, for the LORD has sent you away.

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

23"As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever."

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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?"

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?"

28Jonathan then answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem,

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

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."

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."

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?

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?

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."

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!"

32But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

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

33Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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?"

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?"

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.

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.

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

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

40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, "Go, bring them to the city."

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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