1 Samuel 20 NIV ISV Parallel

◄ 1 Samuel 20 ►

NIV Parallel ISV [BSB CSB ESV HCS KJV ISV NAS NET NIV NLT HEB]

New International Version

International Standard Version

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. 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?

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 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!"

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."

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."

4Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you."

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

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.

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.

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 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.'

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 will be safe. But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are 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?"

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?"

9"Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"

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

10David asked, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

10Then David told 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.

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, "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?

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?

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.

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.

14But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,

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

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 call David's enemies to account."

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."

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 out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.

18Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. 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.

19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait 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.

20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.

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

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 young man: 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then 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."

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 feast came, the king sat down to eat.

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

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 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.

26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean--surely he is unclean."

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

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 answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.

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

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?

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?

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!"

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!"

32"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father.

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

33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

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

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.

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, accompanied by a servant, went out to the field for the appointment with David.

36and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond 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 boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't 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?"

38Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned 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.

39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.)

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

40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town."

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

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 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 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 International Version (NIV)

Bible Hub