1 Samuel - douay rheims

Chapter 20

¹ But David fled from Najoth, which is in Ramatha, and came and said to Jonathan: What have I done? what is my iniquity, and what is my sin against thy father, that he seeketh my life?
² And he said to him: God forbid, thou shalt not die: for my father will do nothing great or little, without first telling me: hath then my father hid this word only from me? no, this shall not be.
³ And he swore again to David. And David said: Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, and he will say: Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly as the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, there is but one step (as I may say) between me and death.
⁴ And Jonathan said to David: Whatsoever thy soul shall say to me, I will do for thee.
⁵ And David said to Jonathan: Behold to morrow is the new moon, and I according to custom am wont to sit beside the king to eat: let me go then that I may be hid in the field till the evening of the third day.
⁶ If thy father look and inquire for me, thou shalt answer him: David asked me that he might run to Bethlehem his own city: because there are solemn sacrifices there for all his tribe.
⁷ If he shall say, It is well: thy servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, know that his malice is come to its height.
⁸ Deal mercifully then with thy servant: for thou hast brought me thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee. But if there be any iniquity in me, do thou kill me, and bring me not in to thy father.
⁹ And Jonathan said: Far be this from thee: for if I should certainly know that evil is determined by my father against thee, I could do no otherwise than tell thee.
¹⁰ And David answered Jonathan: Who shall bring me word, if thy father should answer thee harshly concerning me?
¹¹ And Jonathan said to David: Come and let us go out into the field. And when they were both of them gone out into the field,
¹² Jonathan said to David: O Lord God of Israel, if I shall discover my father's mind, to morrow or the day after, and there be any thing good for David, and I send not immediately to thee, and make it known to thee,
¹³ May the Lord do so and so to Jonathan and add still more. But if my father shall continue in malice against thee, I will discover it to thy ear, and will send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
¹⁴ And if I live, thou shalt shew me the kindness of the Lord: but if I die,
¹⁵ Thou shalt not take away thy kindness from my house for ever, when the Lord shall have rooted out the enemies of David, every one of them from the earth, may he take away Jonathan from his house, and may the Lord require it at the hands of David's enemies.
¹⁶ Jonathan therefore made a covenant with the house of David: and the Lord required it at the hands of David's enemies.
¹⁷ And Jonathan swore again to David, because he loved him: for he loved him as his own soul.
¹⁸ And Jonathan said to him: To morrow is the new moon, and thou wilt be missed:
¹⁹ For thy seat will be empty till after to morrow. So thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place, where thou must be hid on the day when it is lawful to work, and thou shalt remain beside the stone, which is called Ezel.
²⁰ And I will shoot three arrows near it, and will shoot as if I were exercising myself at a mark.
²¹ And I will send a boy, saying to him: Go and fetch me the arrows.
²² If I shall say to the boy: Behold the arrows are on this side of thee, take them up: come thou to me, because, there is peace to thee, and there is no evil, as the Lord liveth. But if I shall speak thus to the boy: Behold the arrows are beyond thee: go in peace, for the Lord hath sent thee away.
²³ And concerning the word which I and thou have spoken, the Lord be between thee and me for ever.
²⁴ So David was hid in the field, and the new moon came, and the king sat down to eat bread.
²⁵ And when the king sat down upon his chair (according to custom) which was beside the wall, Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place appeared empty.
²⁶ And Saul said nothing that day, for he thought it might have happened to him, that he was not clean, nor purified.
²⁷ And when the second day after the new moon was come, David's place appeared empty again. And Saul said to Jonathan his son: Why cometh not the son of Isai to meat neither yesterday nor to day?
²⁸ And Jonathan answered Saul: He asked leave of me earnestly to go to Bethlehem,
²⁹ And he said: Let me go, for there is a solemn sacrifice in the city, one of my brethren hath sent for me: and now if I have found favour in thy eyes, I will go quickly, and see my brethren. For this cause he came not to the king's table.
³⁰ Then Saul being angry against Jonathan said to him: Thou son of a woman that is the ravisher of a man, do I not know that thou lovest the son of Isai to thy own confusion and to the confusion of thy shameless mother?
³¹ For as long as the son of Isai liveth upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Therefore now presently send, and fetch him to me: for he is the son of death.
³² And Jonathan answering Saul his father, said: Why shall he die: what hath he done?
³³ And Saul caught up a spear to strike him. And Jonathan understood that it was determined by his father to kill David.
³⁴ So Jonathan rose from the table in great anger, and did not eat bread on the second day after the new moon. For he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to confusion.
³⁵ And when the morning came, Jonathan went into the field, according to the appointment with David, and a little boy with him.
³⁶ And he said to his boy: Go, and fetch me the arrows which I shoot. And when the boy ran, he shot another arrow beyond the boy.
³⁷ The boy therefore came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot: and Jonathan cried after the boy, and said: Behold the arrow is there further beyond thee.
³⁸ And Jonathan cried again after the boy, saying: Make haste speedily, stand not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and brought them to his master:
³⁹ And he knew not at all what was doing: for only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
⁴⁰ Jonathan therefore gave his arms to the boy, and said to him: Go, and carry them into the city.
⁴¹ And when the boy was gone, David rose out of his place, which was towards the south, and falling on his face to the ground, adored thrice: and kissing one another, they wept together, but David more.
⁴² And Jonathan said to David: Go in peace: and let all stand that 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 thy seed for ever.
⁴³ And David arose, and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel - webster

Chapter 20

¹ And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is my iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
² And he said to him, Far be it from thee; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing, either great or small, but that he will show it to me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
³ And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thy eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he should be grieved: But truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
⁴ Then said Jonathan to David, Whatever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
⁵ And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new-moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.
⁶ If thy father shall at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me, that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
⁷ If he shall say thus, It is well; thy servant will have peace: but if he shall be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.
⁸ Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there is in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldst thou bring me to thy father?
⁹ And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil is determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?
¹⁰ Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father shall answer thee roughly?
¹¹ And Jonathan said to David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.
¹² And Jonathan said to David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to-morrow any time, or the third day, and behold, if there be good towards David, and I then send not to thee, and show it thee;
¹³ The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it shall please my father to do thee evil, then I will show it to thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
¹⁴ And thou shalt, not only while yet I live, show me the kindness of the LORD, that I may not die:
¹⁵ But also thou shalt not withdraw thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.
¹⁷ And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to David, To-morrow is the new-moon: and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
¹⁹ And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
²⁰ And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
²¹ And behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth.
²² But if I say thus to the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.
²³ And as to the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.
²⁴ So David hid himself in the field: and when the new-moon had come, the king sat down to eat food.
²⁵ And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.
²⁶ Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
²⁷ And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why cometh not the son of Jesse to eat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?
²⁸ And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem:
²⁹ And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother he hath commanded me to be there: and now if I have found favor in thy eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not to the king's table.
³⁰ Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thy own confusion, and to the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.
³² And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why shall he be slain? what hath he done?
³³ And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to slay David.
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 done him shame.
³⁵ And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
³⁶ And he said to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow, beyond him.
³⁷ And when the lad had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
³⁸ And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
³⁹ But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
⁴⁰ And Jonathan gave his arms to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city.
⁴¹ And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place towards the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
⁴² And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as 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 thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel - world english bible

Chapter 20

¹ fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"
² said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."
³ 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 Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you."
⁵ 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 may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.
⁶ your father miss 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 he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.
⁸ deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you: but if there be in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"
⁹ 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 David said to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance your father answers you roughly?"
¹¹ said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field.
¹² said to David, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, [be witness]: when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, [or] the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you?
¹³ 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: and Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father.
¹⁴ shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of Yahweh, that I not die;
¹⁵ also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when Yahweh has cut off the enemies of David everyone from the surface of the earth."
¹⁶ Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Yahweh will require it at the hand of David's enemies."
¹⁷ caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
¹⁸ Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
¹⁹ you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you did hide yourself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel.
²⁰ will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.
²¹ 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 hurt, as Yahweh lives.
²² if I say this to the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you;' then go your way; for Yahweh has sent you away.
²³ the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever."
²⁴ David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat food.
²⁵ 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 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 happened on the next day after the new moon, the second day, that David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why doesn't the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?"
²⁸ answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
²⁹ 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 Saul's anger was kindled 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 as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!"
³² answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"
³³ cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
³⁴ 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 done him shame.
³⁵ happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.
³⁶ said to his boy, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
³⁷ the boy was 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 cried after the boy, "Go fast! Hurry! Don't delay!" Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
³⁹ the boy didn't know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
⁴⁰ gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."
⁴¹ soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of [a place] toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most.
⁴² said to David, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of Yahweh, saying, 'Yahweh shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.'" He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel - darby

Chapter 20

¹ And David fled from Naioth by Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity, and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeks my life?
² And he said to him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, and not apprise me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
³ And David swore again and again, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found favour in thy sight: and he has thought, Jonathan shall not know this, lest he be grieved; but truly [as] Jehovah liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
⁴ And Jonathan said to David, What thy soul may say, I will even do it for thee.
⁵ And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.
⁶ If thy father should actually miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
⁷ If he say thus, It is well, -- thy servant shall have peace; but if he be very wroth, be sure that evil is determined by him.
⁸ Deal kindly then with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee; but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
⁹ And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for, if I knew with certainty that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, would I not tell it thee?
¹⁰ Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?
¹¹ And Jonathan said to David, Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.
¹² And Jonathan said to David, Jehovah, God of Israel, when I sound my father about this time to-morrow, [or] the next day, and behold, there be good toward David, and I then send not to thee, and apprise thee of it,
¹³ Jehovah do so and much more to Jonathan. Should it please my father [to do] thee evil, then I will apprise thee of it, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and Jehovah be with thee, as he has been with my father.
¹⁴ And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of Jehovah, that I die not,
¹⁵ but thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever, no, not when Jehovah cuts off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth.
¹⁶ And Jonathan made [a covenant] with the house of David, [saying,] Let Jehovah even require [it] at the hand of David's enemies!
¹⁷ And Jonathan caused David to swear again, by the love he had for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
¹⁸ And Jonathan said to him, To-morrow is the new moon; and thou wilt be missed, for thy seat will be empty;
¹⁹ but on the third day thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the business, and abide by the stone Ezel.
²⁰ And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
²¹ And behold, I will send the lad, [saying,] Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come, for there is peace for thee, and it is nothing; [as] Jehovah liveth.
²² But if I say thus to the youth: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, -- go thy way; for Jehovah sends thee away.
²³ And as to the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between me and thee for ever.
²⁴ And David hid himself in the field; and it was the new moon, and the king sat at table to eat.
²⁵ And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.
²⁶ And Saul said nothing that day; for he thought, Something has befallen [him], that he is not clean: surely he is not clean.
²⁷ And it came to pass the next day after the new moon, the second [day of the month], as David's place was empty, that Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to table, neither yesterday nor to-day?
²⁸ And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me [to go] to Bethlehem,
²⁹ and said, Let me go, I pray thee; for we have a family sacrifice in the city; and my brother himself has commanded me [to be there]; and now, if I have found favour in thy sight, let me go away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. He has therefore not come to the king's table.
³⁰ And Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame and to the shame of thy mother's nakedness?
³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. And now send and fetch him to me, for he must die.
³² And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why should he be put to death? what has he done?
³³ Then Saul cast the spear at him to smite him; and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death.
³⁴ And Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no meat the second day of the new moon; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
³⁵ And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field, to the place agreed on with David, and a little lad with him.
³⁶ And he said to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. The lad ran, and he shot the arrow beyond him.
³⁷ And when the lad came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad and said, Is not the arrow away beyond thee?
³⁸ And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not! And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
³⁹ And the lad knew nothing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
⁴⁰ And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city.
⁴¹ The lad went, and David arose from the side of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times; and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
⁴² And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have both of us sworn in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever! And he arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel - american standard version

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 is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
² And he said unto him, Far from it; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
³ And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father knoweth well that I have found favor in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
⁴ Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
⁵ And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.
⁶ If thy father miss me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
⁷ If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him.
⁸ Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
⁹ And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?
¹⁰ Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly?
¹¹ And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.
¹² And Jonathan said unto David, Jehovah, the God of Israel, [be witness]: when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, [or] the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee?
¹³ Jehovah do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and Jehovah be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
¹⁴ And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the lovingkindness of Jehovah, that I die not;
¹⁵ but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when Jehovah hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, [saying], And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David's enemies.
¹⁷ And Jonathan caused 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 unto him, To-morrow is the new moon: and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
¹⁹ And when thou hast stayed three days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business 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, behold, I will send the lad, [saying], Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as Jehovah liveth.
²² But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for Jehovah hath sent thee away.
²³ And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between thee and me for ever.
²⁴ So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat food.
²⁵ And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon 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 spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
²⁷ And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, [which was] the second [day], that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?
²⁸ And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem:
²⁹ and he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me [to be there]: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king's table.
³⁰ Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother's nakedness?
³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
³² And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done?
³³ And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that is was determined of his father to put David to death.
³⁴ So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
³⁵ And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
³⁶ And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
³⁷ And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
³⁸ And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
³⁹ But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
⁴⁰ And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
⁴¹ And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of [a place] toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
⁴² And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel - basic english

Chapter 20

¹ And David went in flight from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and said, What have I done? What is my crime and my sin against your father that he is attempting to take my life?
² And he said to him, Far be the thought: you will not be put to death: see, my father does nothing, great or small, without giving me word of it: would he keep this secret from me? It is not so.
³ But David took his oath again and said, Your father sees that I am dear to you; so he says to himself, Let Jonathan have no idea of this, for it will be a grief to him; but as the Lord is living, and as your soul is living, there is only a step between me and death.
⁴ Then Jonathan said to David, Whatever your desire is, I will do it for you.
⁵ And David said to Jonathan, Tomorrow is the new moon, and I will not be seated with the king at his table: but let me go to a safe place in the country till the evening.
⁶ And if your father takes note of the fact that I am away, say, David made a request to me for himself that he might go to Beth-lehem, to his town: for it is the time when his family make their offering year by year.
⁷ If he says, It is well, your servant will be at peace: but if he is angry, then it will be clear to you that he has an evil purpose in mind against me.
⁸ So, then, be kind to your servant; for you have been united with your servant in an agreement made before the Lord: but if there is any wrongdoing in me, put me to death yourself; why take me to your father?
⁹ And Jonathan said, Do not have such a thought: for if I saw that my father was designing evil against you, would I not give you word of it?
¹⁰ Then David said to Jonathan, Who will give me word if your father gives you a rough answer?
¹¹ And Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go out into the country. And the two of them went out together into the open country.
¹² And Jonathan said to David, May the Lord, the God of Israel, be witness; when I have had a chance of talking to my father, about this time tomorrow, if his feelings to David are good, will I not send and give you the news?
¹³ May the Lord's punishment be on Jonathan, if it is my father's pleasure to do you evil and I do not give you word of it and send you away so that you may go in peace: and may the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.
¹⁴ And may you, while I am still living, O may you be kind to me, as the Lord is kind, and keep me from death!
¹⁵ And let not your mercy ever be cut off from my family, even when the Lord has sent destruction on all David's haters, cutting them off from the face of the earth.
¹⁶ And if it comes about that the name of Jonathan is cut off from the family of David, the Lord will make David responsible.
¹⁷ And Jonathan again took an oath to David, because of his love for him: for David was as dear to him as his very soul.
¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the new moon: and it will be seen that you are not present, for there will be no one in your seat.
¹⁹ And on the third day it will be specially noted, and you will go to the place where you took cover when the other business was in hand, waiting by the hill over there.
²⁰ And on the third day I will send arrows from my bow against its side as if at a mark.
²¹ And I will send my boy to have a look for the arrow. And if I say to him, See, the arrow is on this side of you; take it up! then you may come; for there is peace for you and no evil, by the living Lord.
²² But if I say to the boy, See, the arrow has gone past you: then go on your way, for the Lord has sent you away.
²³ As for what you and I were talking of, the Lord is between you and me for ever.
²⁴ So David went to a secret place in the country: and when the new moon came, the king took his place at the feast.
²⁵ And the king took his seat, as at other times, by the wall: and Jonathan was in front, and Abner was seated by Saul's side, but there was no one in David's seat.
²⁶ But Saul said nothing that day, for his thought was, Something has taken place making him unclean; it is clear that he is not clean.
²⁷ And on the day after the new moon, that is, the second day, there was still no one in David's seat: and Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast yesterday or today?
²⁸ And answering Saul, Jonathan said, He made a request to me that he might go to Beth-lehem,
²⁹ Saying, Our family is making an offering in the town, and my brothers have given me orders to be there: so now, if I have grace in your eyes, let me go away and see my brothers. This is why he has not come to the king's table.
³⁰ Then Saul was moved to wrath against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of an evil and uncontrolled woman, have I not seen how you have given your love to the son of Jesse, to your shame and the shame of your mother?
³¹ For while the son of Jesse is living on the earth, your position is unsafe and your kingdom is in danger. So make him come here to me, for it is certainly right for him to be put to death.
³² And Jonathan, answering his father Saul, said to him, Why is he to be put to death? What has he done?
³³ And Saul, pointing his spear at him, made an attempt to give him a wound: from which it was clear to Jonathan that his father's purpose was to put David to death.
³⁴ So Jonathan got up from the table, burning with wrath, and took no part in the feast the second day of the month, being full of grief for David because his father had put shame on him.
³⁵ Now in the morning, Jonathan went out into the fields at the time he had said to David, and he had a little boy with him.
³⁶ And he said to the boy, Go and get the arrow I let loose from my bow. And while the boy was running, he sent an arrow past him.
³⁷ And when the boy came to the place where the arrow was, Jonathan, crying out after the boy, said, Has it not gone past you?
³⁸ And Jonathan went on crying out after the boy, Be quick, do not keep waiting about, go quickly. And Jonathan's boy got the arrow and came back to his master.
³⁹ But the boy had no idea what was going on; only Jonathan and David had knowledge of it.
⁴⁰ And Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy, and said to him, Take these and go back to the town.
⁴¹ And when the boy had gone, David came from his secret place by the hill, and falling to the earth went down on his face three times: and they gave one another a kiss, weeping together, till David's grief was the greater.
⁴² And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for we two have taken an oath, in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord will be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed for ever. Then David went away, and Jonathan went into the town.