| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 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 at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?" |
| 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"Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't so!" |
| 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 took an oath and said, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, 'Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death." |
| 4Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. | 4Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll 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 said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. |
| 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 earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there 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, 'Very well,' then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. |
| 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? | 8As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over 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 said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?" |
| 10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly? | 10David asked, "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," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together. |
| 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; | 12Then Jonathan said to David, "I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? |
| 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 harm you, may the LORD deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the LORD be with you 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: | 14But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, |
| 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 kindness from my family--not even when the LORD has cut 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 call David's enemies to account." |
| 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 oath out of love for him, because he loved him 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 feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be 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. | 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by 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 though I were shooting 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.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, as surely as the LORD lives, you are safe; 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 boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, because 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 about the matter you and I discussed--remember, the LORD is 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 feast came, 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 customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, 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, for he thought, "Something must have 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 the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty again. Then Saul said to 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 earnestly asked me for 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. | 29He said, 'Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why he has 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? | 30Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame 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. | 31As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!" |
| 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? | 32"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. |
| 33And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. | 33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended 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; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at 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 his meeting with David. He had a small boy 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. | 36and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he 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 came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after 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 he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" 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. | 39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) |
| 40And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. | 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town." |
| 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. | 41After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together--but David wept the most. |
| 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. | 42Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'" Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. |
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