Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 20"

1 Samuel 20

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 David fled from the prophets' dormitory in Ramah, returned to Y'honatan and said, "What have I done? Where have I gone wrong? What sin have I committed that makes your father want to take my life?"

2 Y'honatan replied,"Heaven forbid! You're not going to die! Look, my father does nothing important or unimportant without telling me first; so why should my father hide this from me? It just won't happen!"

3 In response David swore, "Your father knows very well that you have made me your friend. This is why he will say, 'Y'honatan must not know this, or he will be unhappy.'As truly as ADONAI lives, and as truly as you are alive, there is only a step between me and death."

4 Y'honatan said to David, "Anything you want me to do for you, I'll do."

5 David answered Y'honatan, "Look, tomorrow is Rosh-Hodesh, and I ought to be dining with the king. Instead, let me go and hide myself in the countryside until evening of the third day.

6 If your father misses me at all, say, 'David begged me to let him hurry to Beit-Lechem, his city; because it's the annual sacrifice there for his whole family.'

7 If he says, 'Very good,' then your servant will be all right. But if he gets angry, you will know that he has planned something bad.

8 Therefore show kindness to your servant, for you bound your servant to yourself by a covenant before ADONAI. But if I have done something wrong, kill me yourself! Why turn me over to your father?"

9 Y'honatan said, "Heaven forbid! If I ever were to learn that my father had definitely decided to do you harm, wouldn't I tell you?"

10 Then David asked Y'honatan, "Who will tell me in the event your father gives you a harsh answer?"

11 Y'honatan said to David, "Come, let's go out in the countryside." They went out, both of them, to the countryside.

12 Y'honatan said to David, "ADONAI, the God of Isra'el [is witness]: after I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, then, if things look good for David, I will send and let you know.

13 But if my father intends to do you harm, may ADONAI do as much and more to me if I don't let you know and send you away, so that you can go in peace. And may ADONAI be with you, just as he used to be with my father.

14 However, you are to show me ADONAI's kindness not only while I am alive, so that I do not die;

15 but also, after ADONAI has eliminated every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth, you are to continue showing kindness to my family forever."

16 Thus Y'honatan made a covenant with the family of David, adding, "May ADONAI seek its fulfillment even through David's enemies."

17 Y'honatan had David swear it again, because of the love he had for him - he loved him as he loved himself.

18 Y'honatan said to him, "Tomorrow is Rosh-Hodesh, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

19 The third day, hide yourself well in the same place as you did before; stay by the Departure Stone.

20 I will shoot three arrows to one side, as if I were shooting at a target.

21 Then I will send my boy to recover them. If I tell the boy, 'They're here on this side of you, take them,' then come - it means that everything is peaceful for you; as ADONAI lives, there's nothing wrong.

22 But if I tell the boy, 'The arrows are out there, beyond you,' then get going, because ADONAI is sending you away.

23 As for the matter we discussed earlier, ADONAI is between you and me forever."

24 So David hid himself in the countryside. When Rosh-Hodesh came, the king sat down to eat his meal.

25 The king sat at his usual place by the wall. Y'honatan stood up, and Avner sat next to Sha'ul, but David's place was empty.

26 However, Sha'ul didn't say anything that day; because he thought, "Something has happened to him, he is unclean. Yes, that's it, he isn't clean."

27 The day after Rosh-Hodesh, the second day, David's place was empty; and Sha'ul said to Y'honatan his son, "Why hasn't Yishai's son come to the meal either yesterday or today?"

28 Y'honatan answered Sha'ul, "David begged me to let him go to Beit-Lechem.

29 He said, 'Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother demanded that I come. So now, if you look on me favorably, please let me get away and see my brothers.' That's why he hasn't come to the king's table."

30 At that Sha'ul flew into a rage at Y'honatan and said, "You crooked rebel! Don't I know that you've made this son of Yishai your best friend? You don't care that you're shaming yourself and dishonoring your mother, do you?

31 Because as long as the son of Yishai lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be secure. Now send and bring him here to me - he deserves to die."

32 Y'honatan answered Sha'ul his father, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

33 But Sha'ul threw his spear at him, aiming to kill; Y'honatan could no longer doubt that his father was determined to put David to death.

34 Y'honatan got up from the table in a fury, and he ate no food the second day of the month, both because he was upset over David and because his father had put him to shame.

35 The next morning Y'honatan went out into the country at the time he had arranged with David, taking with him a young boy.

36 He told the boy, "Now run and find the arrows I'm about to shoot."As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37 When the boy reached the place where the arrow was that Y'honatan had shot, Y'honatan shouted at the boy,"Isn't the arrow beyond you?"

38 Y'honatan continued shouting after the boy, "Quick! Hurry! Don't just stand there!" Y'honatan's boy gathered the arrows and returned to his master,

39 but the boy didn't understand anything about the matter - only Y'honatan and David understood.

40 Y'honatan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."

41 As soon as the boy had gone, David got up from a place south of the stone, fell face down on the ground and prostrated himself three times; and they kissed one another and wept each with the other until it became too much for David.

42 Y'honatan said to David, "Go in peace; because we have sworn, both of us, in the name of ADONAI, that ADONAI will be between me and you, and between my descendants and yours, forever." 1(42b) So David got up and left, and Y'honatan went back to the city.

New Living Translation NLT

1 David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. “What have I done?” he exclaimed. “What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?”

2 “That’s not true!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not going to die. He always tells me everything he’s going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn’t hide something like this from me. It just isn’t so!”

3 Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, “Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?’ But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your own soul!”

4 “Tell me what I can do to help you,” Jonathan exclaimed.

5 David replied, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I’ve always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day.

6 If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.

7 If he says, ‘Fine!’ you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me.

8 Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the LORD —or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!”

9 “Never!” Jonathan exclaimed. “You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once.”

10 Then David asked, “How will I know whether or not your father is angry?”

11 “Come out to the field with me,” Jonathan replied. And they went out there together.

12 Then Jonathan told David, “I promise by the LORD, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know.

13 But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the LORD strike me and even kill me if I don’t warn you so you can escape and live. May the LORD be with you as he used to be with my father.

14 And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die,

15 treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.”

16 So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, “May the LORD destroy all your enemies!”

17 And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

18 Then Jonathan said, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty.

19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile.

20 I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target.

21 Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ‘They’re on this side,’ then you will know, as surely as the LORD lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble.

22 But if I tell him, ‘Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,’ then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the LORD is sending you away.

23 And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them.”

24 So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat.

25 He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David’s place was empty.

26 Saul didn’t say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, “Something must have made David ceremonially unclean.”

27 But when David’s place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?”

28 Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem.

29 He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.’ That’s why he isn’t here at the king’s table.”

30 Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him. “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother?

31 As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!”

32 “But why should he be put to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?”

33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.

34 Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

35 The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.

36 “Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

37 When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, “The arrow is still ahead of you.

38 Hurry, hurry, don’t wait.” So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master.

39 He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal.

40 Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.

41 As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.

42 At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the LORD ’s name. The LORD is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.