| King James Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? | 1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?” |
| 2And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. | 2“Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!” |
| 3And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. | 3But David again vowed, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.’ As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.” |
| 4Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. | 4Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.” |
| 5And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. | 5So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now. |
| 6If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. | 6If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for his whole clan.’ |
| 7If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him. | 7If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions. |
| 8Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? | 8Therefore deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?” |
| 9And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? | 9“Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?” |
| 10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly? | 10Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” |
| 11And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. | 11“Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field, |
| 12And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; | 12and Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you? |
| 13The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father. | 13But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father. |
| 14And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: | 14And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, |
| 15But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. | 15and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” |
| 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies. | 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” |
| 17And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. | 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. |
| 18Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. | 18Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed if your seat is empty. |
| 19And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. | 19When you have stayed three days, hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and remain beside the stone Ezel. |
| 20And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. | 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target. |
| 21And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth. | 21Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. |
| 22But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away. | 22But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away. |
| 23And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever. | 23And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.” |
| 24So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. | 24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat. |
| 25And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. | 25He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty. |
| 26Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. | 26Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” |
| 27And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day? | 27But on the day after the New Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal either yesterday or today?” |
| 28And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: | 28Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem, |
| 29And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table. | 29saying, ‘Please let me go, because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he did not come to the king’s table.” |
| 30Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? | 30Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the disgrace of the mother who bore you? |
| 31For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. | 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingship shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!” |
| 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? | 32“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?” |
| 33And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. | 33Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David. |
| 34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. | 34Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the month, for he was grieved by his father’s shameful treatment of David. |
| 35And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. | 35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him. |
| 36And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. | 36He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. |
| 37And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? | 37When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” |
| 38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. | 38Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. |
| 39But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. | 39But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. |
| 40And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. | 40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.” |
| 41And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. | 41When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more. |
| 42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city. | 42And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’ ” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city. |
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