Jonathan Helps David 1 AKJV And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is my iniquity? and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life? BSB BSB: Then 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?”
2 AKJV And he said to him, God forbid; you shall not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will show it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. BSB BSB: “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!”
3 AKJV And David swore moreover, and said, Your father certainly knows that I have found grace in your eyes; and he says, Let not 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. BSB BSB: But 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.”
4 AKJV Then said Jonathan to David, Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”
5 AKJV And David said to 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 to the third day at even. BSB BSB: So 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.
6 AKJV If your 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. BSB BSB: If 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.’
7 AKJV If he say thus, It is well; your servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him. BSB BSB: If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions.
8 AKJV Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father? BSB BSB: Therefore show kindness to 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?”
9 AKJV And Jonathan said, Far be it from you: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then would not I tell it you? BSB BSB: “Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?”
Jonathan and David Renew Their Covenant 10 AKJV Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if your father answer you roughly? BSB BSB: Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 AKJV And Jonathan said to David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. BSB BSB: “Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field,
12 AKJV And Jonathan said to 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 to you, and show it you; BSB BSB: and 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?
13 AKJV The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do you evil, then I will show it you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father. BSB BSB: But 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.
14 AKJV And you shall not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: BSB BSB: And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,
15 AKJV But also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD has cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. BSB BSB: and 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.”
16 AKJV So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies. BSB BSB: So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”
17 AKJV And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. BSB BSB: And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
18 AKJV Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and you shall be missed, because your seat will be empty. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19 AKJV And when you have stayed three days, then you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you did hide yourself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. BSB BSB: When you have stayed three days, hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and remain beside the stone Ezel.
20 AKJV And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. BSB BSB: I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.
21 AKJV And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, take them; then come you: for there is peace to you, and no hurt; as the LORD lives. BSB BSB: Then 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.
22 AKJV But if I say thus to the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond you; go your way: for the LORD has sent you away. BSB BSB: But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away.
23 AKJV And as touching the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between you and me for ever. BSB BSB: And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”
24 AKJV So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. BSB BSB: So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat.
25 AKJV And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty. BSB BSB: He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty.
26 AKJV Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day: for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. BSB BSB: Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”
27 AKJV And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why comes not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day? BSB BSB: But 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?”
28 AKJV And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: BSB BSB: Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem,
29 AKJV And he said, Let me go, I pray you; for our family has a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he has commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away, I pray you, and see my brothers. Therefore he comes not to the king’s table. BSB BSB: saying, ‘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 has not come to the king’s table.”
Saul Seeks to Kill Jonathan 30 AKJV Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own confusion, and to the confusion of your mother’s nakedness? BSB BSB: Then 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 shame of the mother who bore you?
31 AKJV For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the ground, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Why now send and fetch him to me, for he shall surely die. BSB BSB: For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!”
32 AKJV And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why shall he be slain? what has he done? BSB BSB: “Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
33 AKJV And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. BSB BSB: Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.
34 AKJV So 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. BSB BSB: Jonathan 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.
35 AKJV And 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. BSB BSB: In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him.
36 AKJV And he said to his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. BSB BSB: He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
37 AKJV And 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 you? BSB BSB: When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”
38 AKJV And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.
39 AKJV But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. BSB BSB: But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.
40 AKJV And Jonathan gave his artillery to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
41 AKJV And 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. BSB BSB: When 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.
42 AKJV And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for as much as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city. BSB BSB: And 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.