Jonathan Helps David 1 ULT And David fled from Naioth in Ramah. And he came and said to the face of Jonathan,“What have I done? What{ is} my iniquity? And what{ is} my sin to the face of your father, that{ he is} seeking 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 ULT And he said to him,“Profane! You will not die. Behold, my father does not do a great thing or a small thing and not uncover my ear. So why would my father hide this thing from me?{ There is} not this!” 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 ULT And David swore besides and said,“Knowing, your father knows that I have found favor in your eyes. So he said,‘May Jonathan not know this, lest he be grieved.’ But indeed, the life of Yahweh, and the life of your soul, surely like a step{ is} between me and between 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 ULT And Jonathan said to David,“Whatever your soul says, I will do for you.” BSB BSB: Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”
5 ULT And David said to Jonathan,“Behold, the new moon{ is} tomorrow, and sitting, I should sit with the king to eat. But you shall let me go, and I shall hide myself in the field until the third evening. 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 ULT If missing, your father misses me, then you shall say,‘Asking, David asked from me to run{ to} Bethlehem, his city, for the sacrifice of days{ is} there for all of the clan.’ 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 ULT If thus he says,‘Good,’ peace{ is} to your servant. But if burning, it burns to him, know that harm has completed from with 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 ULT Then you shall do covenant faithfulness with your servant. For you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself. For why this, that 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 ULT And Jonathan said,“Profane to you! For if knowing, I know that harm has completed from with my father to come upon you, then will I not declare it to 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 ULT And David said to Jonathan,“Who will declare to me whether what your father answers you{ is} harsh?” BSB BSB: Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 ULT And Jonathan said to David,“Come, and let us go out{ to} the field.” And the two of them went out to 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 ULT And Jonathan said to David,“{ By} Yahweh, the God of Israel, that I will examine my father around this time tomorrow, the third day. And behold,{ if} good{ is} to David, then will I not then send to you and uncover your ear? 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 ULT Thus may Yahweh do to Jonathan, and thus may he add: if harm upon you is good to my father, then I will uncover your ear and send you away so you may go in peace. And may Yahweh be with you just as he was 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 ULT And if I am not still alive, then you shall not do the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh with me, so I do not die, BSB BSB: And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,
15 ULT but you shall not cut off your covenant faithfulness from with my house forever, not even when Yahweh cuts off the enemies of David, a man from upon the face of the ground.” 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 ULT And Jonathan cut with the house of David,“And may Yahweh seek from the hand of the enemies of David!” BSB BSB: So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”
17 ULT And Jonathan added to make David swear by his love for him, for he loved him{ like} the loving of his soul. BSB BSB: And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
18 ULT And Jonathan said to him,“Tomorrow{ is} the new moon. And you will be missed, for your seat will be missed. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19 ULT And you shall stay three days,{ then} you shall come down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself there on the day of the deed. And you shall stay beside 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 ULT And I myself will shoot three arrows{ to} the side of it, to send forth for me to a target. BSB BSB: I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.
21 ULT And behold, I will send a boy,‘Go find the arrows.’ If saying, I say to the boy,‘Behold, the arrows{ are} from you, and hither, get them,’ then come, for peace{ is} for you and there is no matter, the life of Yahweh. 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 ULT But if I say thus to the boy,‘Behold, the arrows{ are} from you, and beyond,’ go, for Yahweh 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 ULT And the word that I and you have spoken, behold, Yahweh{ is} between me and between you forever.” BSB BSB: And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”
24 ULT And David hid himself in the field, and it was the new moon, and the king sat down at the food to eat. BSB BSB: So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat.
25 ULT And the king sat on his seat, as time by time, on the seat{ by} the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by the side of Saul. And the place of David was missing. BSB BSB: He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty.
26 ULT But Saul did not say anything on that day, for he said,“It{ is} an accident. He{ is} not clean, surely 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 ULT And it happened on the next day of the new moon, the second, that the place of David was missing. And Saul said to Jonathan his son,“Why has the son of Jesse not come, both yesterday and today, to the food?” 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 ULT And Jonathan answered Saul,“Asking, David asked from me to Bethlehem. BSB BSB: Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem,
29 ULT And he said,‘Please let me go. For the sacrifice of our clan{ is} in the city, and my brother himself has commanded me. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, may I please go away, and may I see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the table of the king.” 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 ULT And the nose of Saul burned against Jonathan, and he said to him,“Son of one perverting herself in rebellion! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your shame and to the shame of the nakedness of your mother? 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 ULT For all of the days that the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established, nor your kingdom. And now, send and take him to me, for he{ is} a son of death.” 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 ULT And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him,“Why should he be killed? What has he done?” BSB BSB: “Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
33 ULT And Saul hurled the spear at him to strike him. And Jonathan knew that it had completed from with his father to kill 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 ULT And Jonathan arose from the table with burning of nose. And he did not eat bread on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David, because his father had dishonored him. 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 ULT And it happened in the morning that Jonathan went out{ to} the field to the appointment with David, and a small boy{ was} 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 ULT And he said to his boy,“Run, please find the arrows that I am shooting.” The boy ran, and he shot the arrow to pass over 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 ULT And the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called after the boy and said,“{ Is} not the arrow from you, and beyond?” 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 ULT And Jonathan called after the boy,“Quickly, hurry! Do not stay!” And the boy of Jonathan picked 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 ULT Now the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. BSB BSB: But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.
40 ULT And Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy who{ was} to him. And he said to him,“Go, bring{ these}{ to} the city.” BSB BSB: Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
41 ULT The boy went, and David arose from beside the south, and he fell on his nostrils to the ground, and he prostrated himself three times. And they kissed, a man with his companion. And they wept, a man with his companion, until David made great. 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 ULT And Jonathan said to David,“Go in peace, because we, the two of us, have sworn in the name of Yahweh, saying,‘Yahweh is between me and between you, and between my seed and between your seed, forever.’” And he arose and went, and Jonathan entered 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.