Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 20"

1 Samuel 20

New Century Version NCV

1 Then David ran away from Naioth in Ramah. He went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How did I sin against your father? Why is he trying to kill me?"

2 Jonathan answered, "No! You won't die! See, my father doesn't do anything great or small without first telling me. Why would he keep this from me? It's not true!"

3 But David took an oath, saying, "Your father knows very well that you like me. He says to himself, 'Jonathan must not know about it, or he will tell David.' As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I am only a step away from death!"

4 Jonathan said to David, "I'll do anything you want me to do."

5 So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival. I am supposed to eat with the king, but let me hide in the field until the third evening.

6 If your father notices I am gone, tell him, 'David begged me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem. Every year at this time his family group offers a sacrifice.'

7 If your father says, 'Fine,' I am safe. But if he becomes angry, you will know that he wants to hurt me.

8 Jonathan, be loyal to me, your servant. You have made an agreement with me before the Lord. If I am guilty, you may kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?"

9 Jonathan answered, "No, never! If I learn that my father plans to hurt you, I will warn you!"

10 David asked, "Who will let me know if your father answers you unkindly?"

11 Then Jonathan said, "Come, let's go out into the field." So the two of them went out into the field.

12 Jonathan said to David, "I promise this before the Lord, the God of Israel: At this same time the day after tomorrow, I will find out how my father feels. If he feels good toward you, I will send word to you and let you know.

13 But if my father plans to hurt you, I will let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord punish me terribly if I don't do this. And may the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.

14 But show me the kindness of the Lord as long as I live so that I may not die.

15 You must never stop showing your kindness to my family, even when the Lord has destroyed all your enemies from the earth."

16 So Jonathan made an agreement with David. He said, "May the Lord hold David's enemies responsible."

17 And Jonathan asked David to repeat his promise of love for him, because he loved David as much as he loved himself.

18 Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. Your seat will be empty, so my father will miss you.

19 On the third day go to the place where you hid when this trouble began. Wait by the rock Ezel.

20 On the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as if I am shooting at a target.

21 Then I will send a boy to find the arrows. If I say to him, 'The arrows are near you; bring them here,' you may come out of hiding. You are safe. As the Lord lives, there is no danger.

22 But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' you must go, because the Lord is sending you away.

23 Remember what we talked about. The Lord is a witness between you and me forever."

24 So David hid in the field. When the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.

25 He sat where he always sat, near the wall. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.

26 That day Saul said nothing. He thought, "Maybe something has happened to David so that he is unclean."

27 But the next day was the second day of the month, and David's place was still empty. So Saul said to Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the feast yesterday or today?"

28 Jonathan answered, "David begged me to let him go to Bethlehem.

29 He said, 'Let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to be there. Now if I am your friend, please let me go to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table."

30 Then Saul became very angry with Jonathan. He said, "You son of a wicked, worthless woman! I know you are on the side of David son of Jesse! You bring shame on yourself and on your mother who gave birth to you.

31 As long as Jesse's son lives, you will never be king or have a kingdom. Now send for David and bring him to me. He must die!"

32 Jonathan asked his father, "Why should David be killed? What wrong has he done?"

33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, trying to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father really wanted to kill David.

34 Jonathan was very angry and left the table. That second day of the month he refused to eat. He was ashamed of his father and upset over David.

35 The next morning Jonathan went out to the field to meet David as they had agreed. He had a young boy with him.

36 Jonathan said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." When he ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

37 The boy ran to the place where Jonathan's arrow fell, but Jonathan called, "The arrow is beyond you!"

38 Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and brought it back to his master.

39 (The boy knew nothing about what this meant; only Jonathan and David knew.)

40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, "Go back to town."

41 When the boy left, David came out from the south side of the rock. He bowed facedown on the ground before Jonathan three times. Then David and Jonathan kissed each other and cried together, but David cried the most.

42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace. We have promised by the Lord that we will be friends. We said, 'The Lord will be a witness between you and me, and between our descendants always.'" Then David left, and Jonathan went back to town.

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.