| NET Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 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 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?” |
| 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“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!” |
| 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 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 replied to David, "Tell me what I can do for you." | 4Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will 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 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 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 urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice 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, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions. |
| 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?" | 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?” |
| 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 replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?” |
| 10David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" | 10Then David asked Jonathan, “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,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field, |
| 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? | 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 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 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. |
| 14While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the LORD, or else I will die! | 14And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, |
| 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 loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts 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 hold David’s enemies accountable.” |
| 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 vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David 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, and you will be missed if your seat is 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. | 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 near 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. |
| 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!’ 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 on the other side of you,' get away. For in that case 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. |
| 23With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the LORD is the witness between us 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. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat his meal. | 24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, 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 usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, 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 because he thought, “Something has 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 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 replied to Saul, "David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem. | 28Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my 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." | 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 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? | 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? |
| 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!" | 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!” |
| 32Jonathan responded to his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" | 32“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?” |
| 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. | 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 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 and did not eat any food that second day of the month, for he was grieved by 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 the appointment with David, and a small boy was 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. | 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 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 reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to 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 Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So 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.) | 39But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. |
| 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 equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.” |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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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