| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” | 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!" |
| 2So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” | 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!" |
| 3Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘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.” | 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!" |
| 4So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.” | 4Jonathan replied to David, "Tell me what I can do for you." |
| 5And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening. | 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. |
| 6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ | 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.' |
| 7If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him. | 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. |
| 8Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” | 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?" |
| 9But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?” | 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?" |
| 10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?” | 10David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" |
| 11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. | 11Jonathan said to David, "Come on. Let's go out to the field." When the two of them had gone out into the field, |
| 12Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, | 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? |
| 13may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father. | 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. |
| 14And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; | 14While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the LORD, or else I will die! |
| 15but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” | 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 |
| 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” | 16and called David's enemies to account." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. |
| 17Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. | 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. |
| 18Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. | 18Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. |
| 19And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. | 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. |
| 20Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; | 20I will shoot three arrows near it, as though I were shooting at a target. |
| 21and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. | 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. |
| 22But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. | 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. |
| 23And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.” | 23With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the LORD is the witness between us forever!" |
| 24Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. | 24So David hid in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat his meal. |
| 25Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. | 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. |
| 26Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.” | 26However, Saul said nothing about it that day, for he thought, "Something has happened to make him ceremonially unclean. Yes, he must be unclean." |
| 27And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?” | 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?" |
| 28So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. | 28Jonathan replied to Saul, "David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem. |
| 29And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.” | 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." |
| 30Then Saul’s anger was aroused 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? | 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? |
| 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” | 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!" |
| 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” | 32Jonathan responded to his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" |
| 33Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. | 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. |
| 34So Jonathan arose 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 treated him shamefully. | 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. |
| 35And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. | 35The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David. |
| 36Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond 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. |
| 37When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” | 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?" |
| 38And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. | 38Jonathan called out to the servant, "Hurry! Go faster! Don't delay!" Jonathan's servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master. |
| 39But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. | 39(Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.) |
| 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.” | 40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him. He said to him, "Go, take these things back to the city." |
| 41As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. | 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. |
| 42Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. | 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. |
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