1 Samuel Chapter 20

1 Samuel Chapter 20
1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah,
and came and said before Jonathan,
What have I done? What is mine
iniquity? And what sin have I committed
before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
2 And he said unto him, God forbid, thou
shalt not die: behold, my father will do
nothing great nor small, but he will show
it me: and why should my father hide this
thing from me? He will not do it.
3 And David swear again and said, Thy
father knoweth that I have found grace in
thine eyes: therefore he thinketh,
Jonathan shall not know it, lest he be
sorry: but indeed, as the Lord liveth, and
as thy soul liveth, there is but a step
between me and death.
4 Then said Jonathan unto David,
Whatsoever thy soul requireth, that I will
do unto thee.
5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold,
tomorrow is the first day of the month,
and I should sit with the king at meat: but
let me go, that I may hide myself in the
fields unto the third day at even.
6 If thy father make mention of me, then
say, David asked leave of me, that he
might go to Beth-lehem to his own city:
for there is a yearly sacrifice for all that
family.
7 And if he say thus, It is well, thy
servant shall have peace: but if he be
angry, be sure that wickedness is
concluded of him.
8 So shalt thou show mercy unto thy
servant: for thou hast joined thy servant
into a covenant of the Lord with thee,
and if there be in me iniquity, slay thou
me: for why shouldest thou bring me to
thy father?
9 And Jonathan answered, God keep that
from thee: for if I knew that wickedness
were concluded of my father to come
upon thee, would not I tell it thee?
10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who
shall tell me? How shall I know, if thy
father answer thee cruelly?
11 And Jonathan said to David, Come
and let us go out into the field: and they
twain went out into the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, O Lord
God of Israel, when I have groped my
father’s mind tomorrow at this time, or
within this three days, and if it be well
with David, and I then send not unto
thee, and show it thee, 13 The Lord do
so and much more unto Jonathan: but if
my father have mind to do thee evil, I
will show thee also, and send thee away,
that thou mayest go in peace: and the
Lord be with thee as he hath been with
my father. 14 Likewise I require not
whiles I live: for I doubt not but thou
wilt show me the mercy of the Lord, that
I die not.
15 But I require that thou cut not off thy
mercy from mine house forever: no, not
when the Lord hath destroyed the
enemies of David, every one from the
earth.
16 So Jonathan made a bond with the
house of David , saying, Let the Lord
require it at the hands of David’s
enemies.
17 And again Jonathan swear unto
David, because he loved him (for he
loved him as his own soul)
18 Then said Jonathan to him,
Tomorrow is the first day of the month:
and thou shalt be looked for, for thy
place shall be empty.
19 Therefore thou shalt hide thyself three
days, then thou shalt go down quickly
and come to the place where thou didst
hide thyself, when this matter was in
hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
20 And I will shoot three arrows on the
side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
21 And after I will send a boy, saying,
Go, seek the arrows. If I say unto the
boy, See, the arrows are on this side
thee, bring them, and come thou: for it is
well with thee and no hurt, as the Lord
liveth.
22 But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold,
the arrows are beyond thee, go thy way:
for the Lord hath sent thee away.
23 As touching the thing which thou and
I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be
between thee and me forever.
24 So David hid himself in the field: and
when the first day of the month came, the
king sat to eat meat.
25 And the king sat, as at other times
upon his seat, even upon his seat by the
wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat
by Saul’s side, but David’s place was
empty.
26 And Saul said nothing that day: for he
thought, Something hath befallen him,
though he were clean, or else because he
was not purified. 27 But on the morrow
which was the second day of the month,
David’s place was empty again: and
Saul said unto Jonathan his son,
Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to
meat, neither yesterday nor today?
28 And Jonathan answered unto Saul,
David required of me, that he might go
to Beth-lehem.
29 For he said, Let me go, I pray thee:
for our family offereth a sacrifice in the
city, and my brother hath sent for me:
therefore now if I have found favor in
thine eyes, let me go, I pray thee, and see
my brethren: this is the cause that he
cometh not unto the king’s table.
30 Then was Saul angry with Jonathan,
and said unto him, Thou son of the
wicked rebellious woman, do not I
know, that thou hast chosen the son of
Jesse to thy confusion
and to the confusion and shame of thy
mother?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth
upon the earth, thou shalt not be
stablished, nor thy kingdom: wherefore
now send and fetch him unto me, for he
shall surely die.
32 And Jonathan answered unto Saul his
father, and said unto him, Wherefore
shall he die? What hath he done?
33 And Saul cast a spear at him to hit
him, whereby Jonathan knew, that it was
determined of his father to slay David.
34 So Jonathan arose from the table in a
great anger, and did eat no meat the
second day of the month: for he was
sorry for David, and because his father
had reviled him.
35 On the next morning therefore
Jonathan then went out into the field, at
the time appointed with David, and a
little boy with him.
36 And he said unto his boy, Run now,
seek the arrows which I shoot, and as the
boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37 And when the boy was come to the
place where the arrow was that Jonathan
had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy,
and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
38 And Jonathan cried after the boy,
Make speed, haste and stand not still:
and Jonathan’s boy gathered up the
arrows, and came to his master, 39 But
the boy knew nothing: only Jonathan and
David knew the matter. 40 Then
Jonathan gave his bow and arrows unto
the boy that was with him, and said unto
him, Go, carry them into the city.
41 As soon as the boy was gone, David
arose out of a place that was toward the
south, and fell on his face to the ground,
and bowed himself three times: and they
kissed one another, and wept both twain,
till David exceeded. 42 Therefore
Jonathan said to David, Go in peace:
that which we have sworn both of us in
the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord
be between me and thee, and between
my seed and between thy seed, let it
stand forever. (20:43) And he arose and
departed, and Jonathan went into the
city.