1 Samuel 20 NIV NLT Parallel

◄ 1 Samuel 20 ►

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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?"

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?”

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!"

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!”

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."

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!”

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

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

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.

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.

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.'

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

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.

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.

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?"

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!”

9"Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"

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.”

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

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

11"Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together.

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

14But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,

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

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."

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

16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD call David's enemies to account."

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

17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

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

18Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

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

19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.

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

20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.

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

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.

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.

22But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, because the LORD has sent you away.

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.

23And about the matter you and I discussed--remember, the LORD is witness between you and me forever."

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

24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat.

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

25He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.

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

26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean--surely he is unclean."

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

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?"

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?”

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

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

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."

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.”

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?

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?

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!"

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

32"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father.

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

33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

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.

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.

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.

35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him,

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

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

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.

37When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?"

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

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

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

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

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

40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town."

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

New International Version (NIV)

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