1Sa 20 | ABEn | STEP | And David ran away from Naioth in Ramah, and he came before Jonathan. And he said, What have I done, and what is my offence, and how have I sinned before your father, that he seeks anxiously my life?

‏ 1 Samuel 20

CHAPTER 20 Jonathan and David Make a Covenant

1 And David ran away from Naioth in Ramah, and he came before Jonathan. And he said, What have I done, and what is my offence, and how have I sinned before your father, that he seeks anxiously my life? 2 And [²said ³to him ¹Jonathan], Far be it to you. In no way shall you die. Behold, in no way shall [²do ¹my father] a thing, great or small, and shall not reveal it in my ear. And why shall [²hide ¹my father] from me this thing? [³not ²is ¹This] so. 3 And David answered Jonathan, and he said, In perceiving, [²sees ¹your father] that I have found favor in your eyes. And he said, Let not [²know ³this ¹Jonathan], lest he should prefer him! But as lives the lord, and as lives your soul, that as I said, the space is filled up between me and between your father unto death. 4 And Jonathan said to David, What does [²desire ¹your soul], and what should I do for you? 5 And David said to Jonathan, Behold indeed, it is a new moon tomorrow, and I in sitting should sit down with the king to eat. And you shall send me, and I shall be hid in the plain until afternoon. 6 If in numbering [²should number ³me missing ¹your father], then you shall say, In asking pardon [²asks pardon ³of ⁴me ¹David] to run unto Beth-lehem his city, for the sacrifice of the feast days is there for the entire tribe. 7 If thus he should say, Fine, then it will be peace to your servant. And if harshly he should answer to you, know that [²is completed ¹evil] by him! 8 And you will do mercy with your servant, for you brought your servant into a covenant of the lord with yourself. And if there is injustice in your servant, [²put me to death ¹you]! And [⁵unto ⁶your father ¹why ²thus ³should you bring ⁴me]? 9 And Jonathan said, Far be it to you; for if in knowing I should know that [³is completed ¹the ²evil] by my father to come against you, then would I not report it to you? 10 And David said to Jonathan, Who shall report to me if [²should answer ¹your father] harshly? 11 And Jonathan said to David, You go! for we should go out in the field. And they went forth both into the field. 12 And Jonathan said to David, The lord God of Israel knows that I will question my father according to [²time ¹a third]. And behold, if it should be good for David, then in no way shall I send to you in the field. 13 Thus God do to Jonathan, and thus add to it, if I will not bring the evils unto you, and I will uncover your ear, and I will send you, and you will go in peace. And the lord will be with you, as he was with my father. 14 And if during my living you shall do [³with ⁴me ¹mercy ²of the lord], even if in death I should die, 15 you shall not remove your mercy from my house unto the eon. And not even in the removing by the lord of the enemies of David, each from the face of the earth, 16 shall [²be lifted away ¹Jonathan] from the house of David, even if the lord should require from the hands of the enemies of David. 17 And Jonathan proceeded to swear by an oath to David, because of the loving him, for he loved the soul loving him.

Jonathan Helps David to Escape

18 And [²said ³to him ¹Jonathan], Tomorrow is a new moon, and overseeing [²shall be watched ¹your chair]. 19 And you shall do it three times, and you shall watch, and you shall come into the place where you may hide there in the day of the deed, and you shall sit down by that stone. 20 And I shall be three times in the [²darts ¹shooting], and sending them forth to the mark. 21 And behold, I shall send the servant-lad, saying, Come find to me the dart! If I should say to the servant-lad, Here is the dart away from you here, take it! then you come, for peace shall be to you, and there is no bad communication; as lives the lord. 22 But if thus I should say to the young man, Here is the dart, away from you and beyond. Go! for [²sends ³you out ¹the lord]. 23 And concerning the word which we have spoken, I and you, behold, the lord is witness between me and you unto the eon. 24 And David was hidden in the field. And it became a new moon, and [³comes ¹the ²king] unto the table to eat. 25 And [³sat ¹the ²king] upon his chair as once and once before that, upon the chair by the wall. And [²went beforehand by ³him ¹Jonathan], and Abner sat by the side of Saul. And [⁴was watched ¹the ²place ³of David]. 26 And [²did not ³say ¹Saul] anything in that day, for he said, A coincidence, for he appears [²not ⁴clean ¹to ³be], for he has not cleansed himself. 27 And it came to pass in the next day of the month, the [²day ¹second], and [⁴was watched ¹the ²place ³of David]. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why is it that he has not come, the son of Jesse, even yesterday and today unto the table? 28 And Jonathan answered Saul, and said, [²asks pardon ³of ⁴me ¹David], so as [²to ³Beth-lehem ⁴his city ¹to go]. 29 And he said, Send me indeed, for [²a sacrifice ³of the ⁴tribe ¹we have] in the city, and [²gave charge ³for ⁴me ¹my brethren]. And now if I have found favor in your eyes, I will go forth indeed and see my brethren. On account of this he does not come unto the table of the king. 30 And [²was enraged ³in anger ¹Saul] at Jonathan exceedingly, and said to him, O son [²woman ¹of a deserting], [³not ¹for ²do you] know that you are a partner to the son of Jesse for your shame, and for the shame of uncovering your mother? 31 For all the days which the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, you shall not be prepared, you nor your kingdom. Now then, send and take the young man! for [²a son ³of death ¹he is]. 32 And Jonathan responded to Saul his father, and said, Why does he die? What has he done? 33 And Saul lifted up the spear against Jonathan to put him to death. And Jonathan knew that [²has been completed ¹this evil] by his father to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan jumped up from the table in anger of rage. And he did not eat bread on the second day of the month, for he was devastated for David, for [²planned ¹his father] to finish him off. 35 And it became morning, and Jonathan came forth into the field as he gave order for the testimony to David, and [²servant-lad ¹the small] was with him. 36 And he said to the servant-lad, You run and find for me the darts which I shall shoot! And the servant-lad ran. And he shot the arrow, and it passed by him. 37 And [³came ¹the ²servant-lad] unto the place of the arrows which Jonathan shot. And Jonathan yelled out after the boy, and said, [³is there ¹the ²dart] away from you and beyond. 38 And Jonathan yelled out after his servant-lad, saying, In hastening, you hasten! for you should not stand. And [⁴gathered up ¹the ²servant-lad ³of Jonathan] the darts, and he brought the darts to his master. 39 And the servant-lad did not know anything, only Jonathan and David knew the thing. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his servant-lad, and said to his servant-lad, Go, enter into the city! 41 And as [³entered the city ¹the ²servant-lad], then David rose up from the chest, and fell upon his face upon the ground, and did obeisance to him three times. And [²kissed ¹each] his dear one, and [²wept ¹each] over his dear one unto [⁴finale ³of a great ¹David ²exceeded]. 42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace! And as we swore by an oath, both of us in the name of the lord, saying, The lord will be witness between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, unto the eon. And David rose up and went forth. And Jonathan entered into the city.