New King James Version

Christian Standard Bible

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

1David 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?"

2So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

2Jonathan 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."

3Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let 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.”

3But David said, "Your father certainly knows that I have found favor with you. 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."

4So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”

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

5And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.

5So 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 countryside for the next two nights.

6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’

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

7If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him.

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

8Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

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

9But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”

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

10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?”

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

11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field.

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

12Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you,

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

13may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

13If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely if I do not tell you and send you away so you may leave safely. May the LORD be with you, just as he was with my father.

14And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die;

14If I continue to live, show me kindness from the LORD, but if I die,

15but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

15don't ever withdraw your kindness 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 require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

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

17Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

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

18Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

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

19And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.

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

20Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target;

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

21and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm.

21Then I will send a servant and say, 'Go and find the arrows!' Now, if I expressly say to the servant, '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.

22But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away.

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

23And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.”

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

24Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast.

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

25Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

25He 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.

26Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.”

26Saul 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."

27And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”

27However, 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?"

28So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.

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

29And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

29He 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 I have found favor with you, let me go so I can see my brothers.' That's why he didn't come to the king's table."

30Then Saul’s anger was aroused 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?

30Then 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?

31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”

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

32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?”

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

33Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

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

34So Jonathan arose 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 treated him shamefully.

34He got up from the table fiercely angry 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.

35And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him.

35In the morning Jonathan went out to the countryside for the appointed meeting with David. A young servant was with him.

36Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

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

37When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”

37He 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?"

38And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master.

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

39But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

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

40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

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

41As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so.

41When the servant had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell facedown to the ground, and payed homage three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.

42Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

42Jonathan 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.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.