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1 Samuel 20 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

David and Jonathan Covenant

1Sa 20:1

1Sa 20:1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said [fn]to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?”

1Sa 20:2

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

1Sa 20:3

1Sa 20:3Yet David vowed 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, or he will be grieved.’ But truly as the LORD 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 [fn]you say, 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 be safe; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided on evil.

1Sa 20:8

1Sa 20:8“Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD 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 20:9Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I should indeed learn 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 20:11Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out to the field.

1Sa 20:12

1Sa 20:12Then Jonathan said to David, “The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and [fn]make it known to you?

1Sa 20:13

1Sa 20:13“If it please my father to do you harm, may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not [fn]make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

1Sa 20:14

1Sa 20:14“If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, 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 the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

1Sa 20:16

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

1Sa 20:17

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

1Sa 20:18

1Sa 20:18Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty.

1Sa 20:19

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

1Sa 20:20

1Sa 20:20“I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target.

1Sa 20:21

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

1Sa 20:22

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

1Sa 20:23

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

1Sa 20:24

1Sa 20:24So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

1Sa 20:25

1Sa 20:25The 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 empty.

1Sa 20:26

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

1Sa 20:27

1Sa 20:27It came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty; 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 20:29for he said, ‘Please [fn]let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. And 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

1Sa 20:30Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?

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. Therefore 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 fierce 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

1Sa 20:35Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little lad was with him.

1Sa 20:36

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

1Sa 20:37

1Sa 20:37When the lad 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 lad, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s lad picked up the arrow and came to his master.

1Sa 20:39

1Sa 20:39But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

1Sa 20:40

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

1Sa 20:41

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

1Sa 20:42

1Sa 20:42Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD will be between me and you, and between my [fn]descendants and your [fn]descendants forever.’” [fn]Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.
See the NASB95 Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NASB95 Footnotes
Literally: before
Literally: and he does not uncover my ear
Literally: and said
Literally: about
Literally: your soul says
Literally: says thus
Literally: or what
Literally: uncover your ear
Literally: uncover your ear
Literally: there is nothing
Literally: say thus
Literally: word
Literally: send me away
Literally: all the days which
Literally: is a son of death
Literally: the
Literally: seed
Ch 21:1 in Heb
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New American Standard Bible 1995
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by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif.
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For more information on this translation, see the NASB95 Preface.

1 Samuel Chapter 20 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

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