Old Testament · 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 20

Jonathan Helps David

1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan: "What have I done? what is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my soul^a?"

2And he said to him: "Far be it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing, great or small, without uncovering my ear; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."

3And David swore again, and said: "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he says: Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly, as the LORD lives^b and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."

4And Jonathan said to David: "Whatever your soul says, I will do for you."

5And David said to Jonathan: "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should surely sit with the king to eat; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6If your father indeed misses me, then you shall say: David earnestly asked of me to run to Beth-lehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7If thus he says: It is good — there is peace for your servant; but if it burns hot to him, know that the evil is determined by him. 8And you shall do kindness with your servant, for into a covenant^c of the LORD you have brought your servant with you; but if there is in me iniquity, put me to death yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"

9And Jonathan said: "Far be it from you; for if I surely knew that the evil was determined by my father to come upon you, would I not tell it to you?"

Jonathan and David Renew Their Covenant

10And David said to Jonathan: "Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?"

11And Jonathan said to David: "Come, and let us go out to the field." And the two of them went out to the field. 12And Jonathan said to David: "The LORD, the God of Israel — when I have searched my father about this time tomorrow, the third day, and behold, there is good toward David, shall I not then send to you and uncover your ear? 13So may the LORD do to Jonathan, and so may he add, if it pleases my father to do the evil toward you — then I will uncover your ear and send you away, and you shall go in peace; and may the LORD be with you, as he was with my father. 14And will you not, if I am yet living, do with me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not; 15and you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, and not when the LORD cuts off the enemies of David, every man^d, from upon the face of the ground^e."

16And Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David, saying: "And may the LORD require it at the hand of the enemies of David." 17And Jonathan again caused David to swear, by his love for him; for he loved him as the love of his own soul.

18And Jonathan said to him: "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. 19And on the third day you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself on the day of the deed, and you shall remain beside the stone Ezel. 20And I will shoot three arrows to the side, to send for myself at a target. 21And behold, I will send the lad, saying: Go, find the arrows. If I surely say to the lad: Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, take them — then come, for there is peace to you and no matter, as the LORD lives. 22But if thus I say to the young man: Behold, the arrows are beyond you — go, for the LORD has sent you away. 23And the matter which we have spoken, I and you — behold, the LORD is between me and you forever."

24And David hid himself in the field; and the new moon came, and the king sat down to the bread to eat. 25And the king sat upon his seat, as time after time, upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by the side of Saul; and the place of David was empty. 26And Saul did not speak anything that day, for he said: "It is a chance; he is not clean; surely he is not clean."

27And it came to pass on the morrow of the new moon, the second day, that the place of David was empty; and Saul said to Jonathan his son: "Why has the son of Jesse not come, neither yesterday nor today, to the meal?"

28And Jonathan answered Saul: "David earnestly asked of me to go to Beth-lehem, 29and he said: Send me away, I pray, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and he, my brother, has commanded^f me; and now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away, I pray, and see my brothers. Therefore he has not come to the table of the king."

Saul Seeks to Kill Jonathan

30And the anger of Saul burned against Jonathan, and he said to him: "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 the nakedness of your mother? 31For all the days that the son of Jesse lives upon the ground, you shall not be established, you and your kingdom. And now, send and take him to me, for he is a son of death."

32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him: "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

33And Saul hurled the spear at him to smite him; and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death. 34And Jonathan arose from the table in the heat of anger, and did not eat bread on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to shame.

35And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out to the field, to the appointed time (mo-ed) with David, and a little lad with him. 36And he said to his lad: "Run, find now the arrows that I am shooting." The lad ran, and he shot the arrow to pass beyond him.

37And the lad came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, and Jonathan called after the lad, and said: "Is not the arrow beyond you?" 38And Jonathan called after the lad: "Speed, hasten, do not stand still." And the lad of Jonathan gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39But the lad knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan gave his weapons to the lad who was his, and said to him: "Go, bring them to the city."

41The lad came, and David arose from beside the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times; and they kissed each man his fellow, and they wept each man with his fellow, until David exceeded.

42And Jonathan said to David: "Go in peace, since we have sworn, the two of us, in the name of the LORD, saying: the LORD shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever."