The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Samuel 20
1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and
came and said to Jonathan, “What have I
done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin
before your father, that he seeks my life?”
2 He said to him, “Far from it; you willnot
die. Behold, my father does nothing either
great or small, but that he discloses it to me. Why would my father hide this thing
from me? It is not so.”
3 David swore moreover, and said, “Your
father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, ‘Don’t let
Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved;’ but
truly as Yahweh lives, and as your soul
lives, there is but a step between me and
death.”
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for
you.”
5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold,tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail
to dine with the king; but let me go, that I
mayhidemyselfinthefieldto the third day
at evening.
6 If your father misses me at all, then say,
‘David earnestly asked leave of me that he
might run to Bethlehem, his city; for it is
the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’
7 If he says, ‘It is well,’ your servant shall
have peace; but if he is angry, then know
that evil is determined by him.
8 Therefore deal kindly 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 should you bring me to your father?”
9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you; for
if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then
wouldn’t I tell you that?”
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who
will tell me if your father answers you
roughly?”
11 Jonathan said to David, “Come! Let’s
go out into the field.” They both went out
into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, “By Yahweh,
the God of Israel, when I have sounded
out my father about this time tomorrow,
or the third day, behold, if there is good
toward David, won’tIthen send to you and
disclose it to you?
13 Yahweh do so to Jonathan and more
also, should it please my father to do you
evil, if I don’t disclose it to you and send
you away, that you may go in peace. May
Yahweh be with you as he has been with
my father.
14 You shall not only show me the loving
kindness of Yahweh while I still live, that I
not die;
15 but you shall also not cut off your
kindness from my house forever, no, not
when Yahweh has cut off every one of the
enemies of David from the surface of the
earth.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with
David’s house, saying, “Yahweh will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”
17 Jonathancaused David to swear again,
for the love that he had to him; for he loved
him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be
missed, because your seat will be empty.
19 When you have stayed three days, go
down quickly and come to the place where
you hid yourself when this started, and
remain by the stone Ezel.
20 I will shoot three arrows on its side, as
though I shot at a mark.
21 Behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go,
find the arrows!’ If I tell the boy, ‘Behold,
the arrows are on this side of you. Take
them;’ then come, for there is peace to you
and no danger, as Yahweh lives.
22 But if I say this to the boy, ‘Behold, the
arrows are beyond you,’ then go your way,
for Yahweh has sent you away.
23 Concerning the matter which you and
I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field.
When the new moon had come, the king
sat himself down to eat food.
25 The king sat on his seat, as at other
times, even on the seat by the wall; and
Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s
side, but David’s place was empty.
26 Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything
that day, for he thought, “Something has
happened to him. He is not clean. Surely
he is not clean.”
27 On the next day after the new moon,
the second day, David’s place was empty.
Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why didn’t
the son of Jesse come to eat, either yesterday, or today?”
28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David
earnestly asked permission of me to go to
Bethlehem.
29 He said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother
has commanded me to be there. Now, if I
have found favor in your eyes, please let
me go away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against
Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a
perverse rebellious woman, don’t I know
that you have chosen the son of Jesse to
your own shame, and to the shame of your
mother’s nakedness?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on
the earth, you will not be established, nor
will your kingdom. Therefore now send
and bring him to me, for he shall surely
die!”
32 Jonathan answered Saul his father,
and said to him, “Why should he be put to
death? What has he done?”
33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him.
By this Jonathan knew that his father was
determined to put David to death.
34 So Jonathan arose from the table in
fierce anger, and ate no food the second
day of the month; for he was grieved for
David, because his father had treated him
shamefully.
35 In the morning, Jonathan went out
into the field at the time appointed with
David, and a little boy with him.
36 He said to his boy, “Run, find now the
arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he
shot an arrow beyond him.
37 When the boy had come to the place
of the arrow which Jonathan had shot,
Jonathan cried after the boy, and said,
“Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”
38 Jonathan cried after the boy, “Go fast!
Hurry! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39 But the boy didn’t know anything.
Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy,
and said to him, “Go, carry them to the
city.”
41 As soon as the boy was gone, David
arose out of the south, and fell on his face
to the ground, and bowed himself three
times. They kissed one another and wept
with one another, and David wept the
most.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace,
because we have both sworn in Yahweh’s
name, saying, ‘Yahweh is between me
and you, and between my offspring and
your offspring, forever.’ ” He arose and
departed; and Jonathan went into the city.