1 Samuel 20 NLT ISV Parallel

◄ 1 Samuel 20 ►

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1David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. “What have I done?” he exclaimed. “What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?”

1David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he's determined to kill me?

2“That’s not true!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not going to die. He always tells me everything he’s going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn’t hide something like this from me. It just isn’t so!”

2Jonathan told him, "Far from it! You won't die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me; so why should my father hide this thing from me? It's not like that!"

3Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, “Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?’ But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your own soul!”

3David again took an oath: "Your father certainly knows that I've found favor with you, and so he told himself, 'Jonathan must not know this so he won't be upset.' But as certainly as the LORD is alive and living, and as certainly as I'm alive and living, too, there is only a step between me and death."

4“Tell me what I can do to help you,” Jonathan exclaimed.

4Jonathan told David, "Whatever you say, I'll do."

5David replied, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I’ve always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day.

5David told Jonathan, "Look, the New Moon is tomorrow, and I'm expected to sit down with the king to eat. Let me go so I can hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.

6If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.

6If your father actually notices that I'm not there, then you are to say, 'David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.'

7If he says, ‘Fine!’ you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me.

7If he says, 'Good,' then your servant will be safe. But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil.

8Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the LORD—or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!”

8Now, show gracious kindness to your servant because you have entered into a sacred covenant with your servant. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself—why should you bring me to your father?"

9“Never!” Jonathan exclaimed. “You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once.”

9"Nonsense!" Jonathan replied. "If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?"

10Then David asked, “How will I know whether or not your father is angry?”

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

11“Come out to the field with me,” Jonathan replied. And they went out there together.

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

12Then Jonathan told David, “I promise by the LORD, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know.

12Jonathan told David, "The LORD God of Israel is my witness that I'll carefully question my father by tomorrow or the next day. And if the response is favorable for David, will I not then send word to you and let you know?

13But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the LORD strike me and even kill me if I don’t warn you so you can escape and live. May the LORD be with you as he used to be with my father.

13But if my father intends to harm you, may the LORD strike me dead if I don't let you know and send you away so you may go safely. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father.

14And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die,

14If I remain alive, don't fail to show me the LORD's gracious love so that I don't die.

15treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.”

15And don't stop showing your gracious love to my family forever, not even when the LORD eliminates each of David's enemies from the surface of the earth."

16So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, “May the LORD destroy all your enemies!”

16Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: "May the LORD punish any violation of this covenant by the hand of David's enemies."

17And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

17Jonathan made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.

18Then Jonathan said, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty.

18Jonathan told him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is empty.

19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile.

19On the third day go down quickly and come to the place where you hid earlier. Remain beside the rock at Ezel.

20I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target.

20I'll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as though I were shooting at a target.

21Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ‘They’re on this side,’ then you will know, as surely as the LORD lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble.

21Then I'll send a servant, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I specifically say to the servant, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,' then come out because it's safe for you, and, as surely as the LORD lives, there is no danger.

22But if I tell him, ‘Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,’ then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the LORD is sending you away.

22But if I say this to the young man: 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go, for the LORD has sent you away.

23And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them.”

23As for the matter about which you and I spoke, remember that the LORD is a witness between us forever."

24So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat.

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

25He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David’s place was empty.

25The king sat down at his place as before, in the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood while Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.

26Saul didn’t say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, “Something must have made David ceremonially unclean.”

26Saul didn't say anything that day because he told himself, "Something has happened; he's unclean; surely he's not clean."

27But when David’s place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?”

27But the next day, on the second day of the New Moon, David's place was empty, and so Saul told his son Jonathan, "Why didn't Jesse's son come to the festival, either yesterday or today?"

28Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem.

28Jonathan answered Saul, "David urgently requested that I let him go to Bethlehem.

29He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.’ That’s why he isn’t here at the king’s table.”

29He said, 'Please let me go because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to come. Now, if it's acceptable to you, please let me get away so I can see my brothers.' That's the reason he didn't come to the king's table."

30Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him. “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother?

30Saul flew into a rage and told Jonathan, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have chosen Jesse's son to your shame and to the shame of your mother who bore you?

31As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!”

31As long as Jesse's son lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established! Now send someone and bring David to me. He's a dead man!"

32“But why should he be put to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?”

32Jonathan asked his father Saul, "Why should he be killed? What did he do?"

33Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.

33Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David.

34Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

34So on the second day of the New Moon Jonathan angrily got up from the table without eating because he was upset about David, and because his father had humiliated him.

35The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.

35In the morning Jonathan, accompanied by a servant, went out to the field for the appointment with David.

36“Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

36Jonathan told his servant, "Run, find the arrows that I'm shooting." As the servant ran, Jonathan shot the arrow beyond him.

37When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, “The arrow is still ahead of you.

37The servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot it, and Jonathan called out to him, "The arrow is beyond you, isn't it?"

38Hurry, hurry, don’t wait.” So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master.

38Jonathan called out to the servant, "Hurry, be quick, don't stand around." Jonathan's servant picked up the arrow and brought it to his master.

39He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal.

39The servant was not aware of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what had happened.

40Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.

40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him and told him, "Go, take these things to the city."

41As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.

41The servant went. Then David came out from the south side of the rock, fell on his face, and bowed down three times. The men kissed each other, and both of them cried, but David even more.

42At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the LORD’s name. The LORD is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.

42Jonathan told David, "Go in peace since both of us swore in the name of the LORD: 'May the LORD be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'" Then David got up and left, while Jonathan went to the city.

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