1 Samuel 20 :: Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

David and Jonathan’s Covenant

Then David^H1732 fled^H1272 from Naioth^H5121 in Ramah^H7414 and came^H935 and said^H559 before Jonathan^H3083, “What^H4100 have I done^H6213? What^H4100 is my iniquity^H5771? And what^H4100 is my sin^H2403 before^H6440 your father^H1, that he is seeking^H1245 my life^H5315?”

1Sa 20:2

1Sa 20:2And he said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without revealing it in my ear. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

1Sa 20:3

1Sa 20:3Yet David swore again, [fn]saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, there is [fn]hardly a step between me and death.”

1Sa 20:4

1Sa 20:4Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul says, I will do for you.”

1Sa 20:5

1Sa 20:5So 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.

1Sa 20:6

1Sa 20:6“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.’

1Sa 20:7

1Sa 20:7“If he [fn]says, ‘It is good,’ your servant will have peace; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided on evil.

1Sa 20:8

1Sa 20:8“Therefore show lovingkindness to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?”

1Sa 20:9

1Sa 20:9And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I should indeed come to know that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?”

1Sa 20:10

1Sa 20:10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me [fn]if your father answers you harshly?”

1Sa 20:11

1Sa 20:11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out to the field.

1Sa 20:12

Then Jonathan^H3083 said^H559 to David^H1732, “Yahweh^H3068, the God^H430 of Israel^H3478, be witness! When^H3588 I have examined^H2713 my father^H1 about this time^H6256 tomorrow^H4279, or the third^H7992 day, behold^H2009, if there is good^H2895 feeling toward^H413 David^H1732, shall I not then^H227 send^H7971 to you and reveal^H1540 it in your ear^H241?

1Sa 20:13

1Sa 20:13“If it please my father to do you harm, may Yahweh do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not reveal it in your ear and send you away, that you may go in peace. And may Yahweh be with you as He has been with my father.

1Sa 20:14

1Sa 20:14“And if I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of Yahweh, that I may not die?

1Sa 20:15

1Sa 20:15“You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when Yahweh cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

1Sa 20:16

1Sa 20:16So Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May Yahweh require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”

1Sa 20:17

1Sa 20:17And Jonathan made David swear again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own soul.

1Sa 20:18

Then Jonathan^H3083 said^H559 to him, “Tomorrow^H4279 is the new^H2320 moon^H2320, and you will be^H6485 missed^H6485 because^H3588 your seat^H4186 will be missing^H6485.

1Sa 20:19

1Sa 20:19“When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place [fn]where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel.

1Sa 20:20

1Sa 20:20“And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I sent them towards a target.

1Sa 20:21

1Sa 20:21“And behold, I will send the young man, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the young man, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, for there is peace for you and [fn]no harm, as Yahweh lives.

1Sa 20:22

1Sa 20:22“But if I [fn]say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for Yahweh has sent you away.

1Sa 20:23

1Sa 20:23“As for the [fn]agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”

1Sa 20:24

So David^H1732 hid^H5641 in the field^H7704; and when the new^H2320 moon^H2320 came^H1961, the king^H4428 sat^H3427 down^H3427 to eat^H398 food^H3899.

1Sa 20:25

1Sa 20:25And the 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 missing.

1Sa 20:26

1Sa 20:26Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he said, “It is an accident; he is not clean; surely he is not clean.”

1Sa 20:27

1Sa 20:27Now it happened the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was missing; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

1Sa 20:28

1Sa 20:28Jonathan then answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem,

1Sa 20:29

1Sa 20:29and he said, ‘Please send me on my way, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. So 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.”

Saul Is Angry with Jonathan

1Sa 20:30

Then Saul’s^H7586 anger^H639 burned^H2734 against Jonathan^H3083, and he said^H559 to him, “You son^H1121 of a perverse^H5753, rebellious^H4780 woman! Do I not know^H3045 that you are choosing^H977 the son^H1121 of Jesse^H3448 to your own shame^H1322 and to the shame^H1322 of your mother’s^H517 nakedness^H6172?

1Sa 20:31

1Sa 20:31“For [fn]as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. So now, send and bring him to me, for he [fn]must surely die.”

1Sa 20:32

1Sa 20:32But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

1Sa 20:33

1Sa 20:33Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.

1Sa 20:34

1Sa 20:34Then Jonathan arose from the table in burning 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.

1Sa 20:35

Now it happened^H1961 in the morning^H1242 that Jonathan^H3083 went^H3318 out^H3318 into the field^H7704 for the appointment^H4150 with David^H1732, and a very^H6996 young^H5288 man^H5288 was with him.

1Sa 20:36

1Sa 20:36And he said to his young man, “Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” As the young man was running, he shot [fn]an arrow past him.

1Sa 20:37

1Sa 20:37When the young man reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”

1Sa 20:38

1Sa 20:38And Jonathan called after the young man, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s young man gathered up the arrow and came to his master.

1Sa 20:39

1Sa 20:39But the young man did not know of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

1Sa 20:40

1Sa 20:40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his young man and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.”

1Sa 20:41

1Sa 20:41When the young man was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his [fn]face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David wept more.

1Sa 20:42

1Sa 20:42And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of Yahweh, saying, ‘Yahweh will be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed forever.’” [fn]Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.