Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 20"

1 Samuel 20

Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB

1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life?"

2 Jonathan said to him, "No, you won't die. Listen, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This can't be [true]."

3 But David said, "Your father certainly knows that you have come to look favorably on me. He has said, 'Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.' " David also swore, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death."

4 Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you."

5 So David told him, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I'm supposed to sit down and eat with the king. Instead, let me go, and I'll hide in the field until the third night.

6 If your father misses me at all, say, 'David urgently requested my permission to quickly go to his town Bethlehem for an annual sacrifice there involving the whole clan.'

7 If he says, 'Good,' then your servant is safe, but if he becomes angry, you will know he has evil intentions.

8 Deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant before the Lord with you. If I have done anything wrong, then kill me yourself; why take me to your father?"

9 "No!" Jonathan responded. "If I ever find out my father has evil intentions against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?"

10 So David asked Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

11 He answered David, "Come on, let's go out to the field." So both of them went out to the field.

12 "By the Lord, the God of Israel, if I sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day and I find out that he is favorable toward you, and if I do not send for you and tell you,

13 then may God punish Jonathan and do so severely. If my father intends to bring evil on you, then I will tell you, and I will send you away, and you will go in peace. May the Lord be with you, just as He was with my father.

14 If I continue to live, treat me with the Lord's faithful love, but if I die,

15 don't ever withdraw your faithful love from my household-not even when the Lord cuts off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."

16 Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the Lord hold David's enemies accountable."

17 Jonathan once again swore to David in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon; you'll be missed because your seat will be empty.

19 The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel.

20 I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I'm aiming at a target.

21 Then I will send the young man [and say], 'Go and find the arrows!' Now, if I expressly say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you-get them,' then come, because as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem.

22 But if I say this to the youth: 'Look, the arrows are beyond you!' then go, for the Lord is sending you away.

23 As for the matter you and I have spoken about, the Lord will be a witness between you and me forever."

24 So David hid in the field. At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal.

25 He sat at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him and Abner took his place beside Saul, but David's place was empty.

26 Saul did not say anything that day because he thought, "Something unexpected has happened; he must be ceremonially unclean-yes, that's it, he is unclean."

27 However, the day after the New Moon, the second day, David's place was [still] empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, "Why didn't Jesse's son come to the meal either yesterday or today?"

28 Jonathan answered, "David asked for my permission to go to Bethlehem.

29 He said, 'Please let me go because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if you are pleased with me, let me go so I can see my brothers.' That's why he didn't come to the king's table."

30 Then Saul became angry with Jonathan and shouted, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you are siding with Jesse's son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother?

31 Every day Jesse's son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me-he deserves to die."

32 Jonathan answered his father back: "Why is he to be killed? What has he done?"

33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he knew that his father was determined to kill David.

34 He got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father's shameful behavior toward David.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointed meeting with David. A small young man was with him.

36 He said to the young man, "Run and find the arrows I'm shooting." As the young man ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

37 He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, "The arrow is beyond you, isn't it?"

38 Then Jonathan called to him, "Hurry up and don't stop!" Jonathan's young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master.

39 He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.

40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, "Go, take it back to the city."

41 When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.

42 Jonathan then said to David, "Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the Lord when we said: The Lord will be [a witness] between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever." Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city.

Revised Standard Version RSV

1 Then David fled from Nai'oth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"

2 And he said to him, "Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me; and why should my father hide this from me? It is not so."

3 But David replied, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he thinks, 'Let not 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."

4 Then said Jonathan to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you."

5 David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.

6 If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city; for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.'

7 If he says, 'Good!' it will be well with your servant; but if he is angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a sacred covenant with you. But if there is guilt in me, slay me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"

9 And Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that evil should come upon you, would I not tell you?"

10 Then said David to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?"

11 And Jonathan said to David, "Come, let us go out into the field." So they both went out into the field.

12 And Jonathan said to David, "The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you?

13 But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan, and more also, if I do not disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father.

14 If I am still alive, show me the loyal love of the LORD, that I may not die;

15 and do not cut off your loyalty from my house for ever. When the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth,

16 let not the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David. And may the LORD take vengeance on David's enemies."

17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

19 And on the third day you will be greatly missed; then go to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside yonder stone heap.

20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.

21 And behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the lad, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,' then you are to come, for, as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.

22 But if I say to the youth, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go; for the LORD has sent you away.

23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me for ever."

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

25 The king sat upon his seat, as at other times, upon the seat by the wall; Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty.

26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day; for he thought, "Something has befallen him; he is not clean, surely he is not clean."

27 But on the second day, the morrow after the new moon, David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

28 Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem;

29 he said, 'Let me go; for our family holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away, and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."

30 Then Saul's anger was kindled 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?

31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and fetch him to me, for he shall surely die."

32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

33 But Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

34 And Jonathan rose 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 disgraced him.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little lad.

36 And he said to his lad, "Run and find the arrows which I shoot." As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37 And when the lad came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?"

38 And Jonathan called after the lad, "Hurry, make haste, stay not." So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39 But the lad knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, "Go and carry them to the city."

41 And as soon as the lad had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times; and they kissed one another, and wept with one another, until David recovered himself.

42 Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, for ever.'" And he rose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.