1 GLT And David fled from Naioth in the Ramah. And he came and said before the face of Jonathan,“What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before 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 GLT And he said to him,“Far from it! You will not die. Behold, my father does not do a great thing or a small thing and not uncover my ear. And 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 GLT And David swore again and said,“Your father surely knows that I have found favor in your eyes. And he said,‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But indeed, as Yahweh is alive, and as your soul is alive, surely between me and death is like a step!” 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 GLT And Jonathan said to David,“Whatever your self says, I will do for you.” BSB BSB: Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”
5 GLT And David said to Jonathan,“Behold, the new moon is tomorrow, and surely I should sit with the king to eat. But you shall send me away and I will 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 GLT If your father misses me at all, then you shall say,‘David earnestly asked from me to run to Bethlehem, his city, for the sacrifice of the days is there for all 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 GLT If thus he says,‘Good,’ peace is for your servant. But if it burns intensely for him, know that the evil is 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 GLT And 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, put me to death yourself. And why should you bring me as far as 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 GLT And Jonathan said,“Far be it for you! For if I ever know that the evil has been completed from with my father to come on you, then will I not tell 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?”
10 GLT And David said to Jonathan,“Who will tell me if what your father answers you is harsh?” BSB BSB: Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 GLT 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 GLT And Jonathan said to David,“By Yahweh the God of Israel, surely I will sound out my father around this time tomorrow, or the third. If behold, 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 GLT Thus may Yahweh do to Jonathan and thus may he add if the evil on you is good to my father and I do not 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 GLT And if I am still alive, then you will do the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh with me, and I will not die. BSB BSB: And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,
15 GLT And you shall not cut off your covenant faithfulness from with my house until eternity, not even when Yahweh cuts off the enemies of David, a man from on 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 GLT 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 GLT And Jonathan caused David to swear again because he loved him. For he loved him like the loving of his self. BSB BSB: And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
18 GLT And Jonathan said to him,“Tomorrow is the new moon. And you will be missed because your seat will be missing. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19 GLT And the third day you shall go down greatly and come to the place there where you hid yourself 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 GLT And as for me, I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as sending 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 GLT And behold, I will send the boy,‘Go find the arrows.’ If I say clearly to the boy,‘Behold, the arrows are on this side from you; take them,’ then come; for peace is for you and there is no matter, as Yahweh is alive. 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 GLT But if I say thus to the boy,‘Behold, the arrows are beyond from you,’ 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 GLT As for the word which I and you have spoken, behold, Yahweh is between me and you until eternity.” BSB BSB: And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”
24 GLT And David hid himself in the field. And it was the new moon, and the king sat 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 GLT And the king sat on his seat, as time by time, on the seat by the wall. And Jonathan rose, 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 GLT And Saul did not speak 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 GLT 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 to the food both yesterday and today?” 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 GLT And Jonathan answered Saul,“David earnestly asked from with me as far as Bethlehem. BSB BSB: Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem,
29 GLT And he said,‘Please send me away. For the sacrifice of our clan is in the city, and he, my brother, has commanded me. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me slip away and let me 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.”
30 GLT And the nose of Saul burned against Jonathan, and he said to him,“Son of a perverse, rebellious woman! 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 GLT For all the days that the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. 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 GLT And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and he said to him,“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” BSB BSB: “Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
33 GLT And Saul hurled the spear at him to strike him down. And Jonathan knew that it was completed from with his father to put David to death. BSB BSB: Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.
34 GLT And Jonathan rose from with the table with a burning nose. And he did not eat food 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 GLT 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 GLT And he said to his boy,“Run, find now the arrows that I am about to shoot.” 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 GLT And the boy came as far as the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot. And Jonathan called after the boy and said,“Is not the arrow beyond from 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 GLT 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 GLT 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 GLT And Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy who was for him. And he said to him,“Go, bring to the city.” BSB BSB: Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
41 GLT The boy went, and David rose from beside the south, and fell before his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed, a man with his companion. And they wept, a man with his companion, until David did the most. 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 GLT 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 you, and between my seed and your seed until eternity.’” And he rose and went, and Jonathan came to 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.