| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard 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?" | 1David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so 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!" | 2Jonathan said to him, "No, you won't die. Listen, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This can't 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 said, "Your father certainly knows that you have come to look favorably on me. He has said, 'Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.'" David also swore, "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." | 4Jonathan 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 told him, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I'm supposed to sit down and eat with the king. Instead, let me go, and I'll hide in the field until the third night. |
| 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, say, 'David urgently requested my permission to quickly go to his town Bethlehem for an annual sacrifice there involving the 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 becomes angry, 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?" | 8Deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I have done anything wrong, then kill me yourself; why take 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"No!" Jonathan responded. "If I ever find out my father has evil intentions against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?" |
| 10David asked, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" | 10So 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. | 11He answered David, "Come on, let's go out to 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? | 12"By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If I find out that 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. | 13If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely if I do not tell you and send you away so you may go in peace. May the LORD be with you, just as He was 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, | 14If I continue to live, treat me with the LORD's faithful love, but if I 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." | 15don't ever withdraw your faithful love 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." | 16Then 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. | 17Jonathan once again swore to David in his love for him, because he loved him 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 him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon; you'll 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. | 19The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel. |
| 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. | 20I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I'm 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 the young man and say, 'Go and find the arrows!' Now, if I expressly say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you--get them,' then come, because as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem. |
| 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 this to the youth: 'Look, the arrows are beyond you!' then go, for the LORD is sending you away. |
| 23And about the matter you and I discussed--remember, the LORD is witness between you and me forever." | 23As for the matter you and I have spoken about, the LORD will be 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. At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal. |
| 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 at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him and Abner took his place beside Saul, 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 did not say anything that day because he thought, "Something unexpected has happened; he must be ceremonially unclean--yes, that's it, 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?" | 27However, the day after the New Moon, the second day, David's place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, "Why didn't Jesse's son come to the meal either yesterday or today?" |
| 28Jonathan answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. | 28Jonathan answered, "David asked for 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." | 29He said, 'Please let me go because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if you are pleased with me, let me go so I can see my brothers.' That's why he didn't 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 became angry with Jonathan and shouted, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you are siding with Jesse's son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother? |
| 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!" | 31Every day Jesse's son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me--he deserves to die." |
| 32"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. | 32Jonathan answered his father back: "Why is he to be killed? 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 threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he 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. | 34He got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father's shameful behavior toward 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 appointed meeting with David. A small young man 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 young man, "Run and find the arrows I'm shooting." As the young man 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?" | 37He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, "The arrow is beyond you, isn't it?" |
| 38Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. | 38Then Jonathan called to him, "Hurry up and don't stop!" Jonathan's young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master. |
| 39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) | 39He 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 young man who was with him 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 Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, 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. | 42Jonathan then said to David, "Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the LORD when we said: The LORD will be a witness between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever." Then David left, and 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. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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