1Samuel 20

Jonathan Helps David

20David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. "What have I done?" he exclaimed. "What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?"H1732H1272H5121H7414H935H559H6440H3083H6213H5771H2403H6440H1H1245H53152"That's not true!" Jonathan protested. "You're not going to die. He always tells me everything he's going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn't hide something like this from me. It just isn't so!"H559H2486H4191H1H6213H6213H1697H1419H6996H1540H241H1H5641H16973Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, "Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, 'I won't tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?' But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your own soul!"H1732H7650H559H1H3045H3045H4672H2580H5869H559H3083H3045H6087H199H3068H2416H5315H2416H6587H41944"Tell me what I can do to help you," Jonathan exclaimed.H559H3083H1732H5315H559H62135David replied, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I've always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I'll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day.H1732H559H3083H4279H2320H3427H3427H4428H398H7971H5641H7704H7992H61536If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.H1H6485H6485H559H1732H7592H7592H7323H1035H5892H3117H2077H49407If he says, 'Fine!' you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me.H559H2896H5650H7965H2734H2734H3045H7451H36158Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the LORD—or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don't betray me to him!"H6213H2617H5650H935H5650H1285H3068H3426H5771H4191H935H19"Never!" Jonathan exclaimed. "You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once."H3083H559H2486H3045H3045H7451H3615H1H935H504610Then David asked, "How will I know whether or not your father is angry?"H559H1732H3083H5046H1H6030H718611"Come out to the field with me," Jonathan replied. And they went out there together.H3083H559H1732H3212H3318H7704H3318H8147H770412Then Jonathan told David, "I promise by the LORD, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know.H3083H559H1732H3068H430H3478H2713H1H4279H6256H7992H2895H1732H7971H1540H24113But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the LORD strike me and even kill me if I don't warn you so you can escape and live. May the LORD be with you as he used to be with my father.H3068H6213H3541H3254H3083H3190H1H7451H1540H241H7971H1980H7965H3068H114And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die,H518H2416H6213H2617H3068H419115treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth."H3772H2617H1004H5704H5769H3068H3772H341H1732H376H6440H12716So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David

, saying, "May the LORD destroy all your enemies!"H3083H3772H1004H1732H3068H1245H3027H1732H34117And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.H3083H1732H7650H3254H160H157H160H531518Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty.H3083H559H1732H4279H2320H6485H4186H648519The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile

.H8027H3381H3966H935H4725H5641H3117H4639H3427H681H68H23720I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target.H3384H7969H2671H6654H7971H430721Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, 'They're on this side,' then you will know, as surely as the LORD lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble.H7971H5288H3212H4672H2671H559H559H5288H2671H3947H935H7965H1697H3068H241622But if I tell him, 'Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,' then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the LORD is sending you away.H559H5958H2671H1973H3212H3068H797123And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them."H1697H1696H3068H5704H576924So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat.H1732H5641H7704H2320H4428H3427H398H389925He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him

and Abner beside him. But David's place was empty.H4428H3427H4186H6471H4186H7023H3083H6965H74H3427H7586H6654H1732H4725H648526Saul didn't say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, "Something must have made David ceremonially unclean."H7586H1696H3972H3117H559H4745H1115H2889H288927But when David's place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?"H4283H8145H2320H1732H4725H6485H7586H559H3083H1121H935H1121H3448H3899H8543H311728Jonathan replied, "David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem.H3083H6030H7586H1732H7592H7592H5978H103529He said, 'Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.' That's why he isn't here at the king's table."H559H7971H4940H2077H5892H251H6680H4672H2580H5869H4422H7200H251H935H4428H797930Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. "You stupid son of a whore!"

he swore at him. "Do you think I don't know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother?H7586H639H2734H3083H559H1121H5753H4780H3045H977H1121H3448H1322H1322H517H617231As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you'll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!"H3117H1121H3448H2425H127H3559H4438H7971H3947H1121H419432"But why should he be put to death?" Jonathan asked his father. "What has he done?"H3083H6030H7586H1H559H4191H621333Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.H7586H2904H2595H5221H3083H3045H3617H1H4191H173234Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father's shameful behavior toward David.H3083H6965H7979H2750H639H398H3899H8145H3117H2320H6087H1732H1H363735The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.H1242H3083H3318H7704H4150H1732H6996H528836"Start running," he told the boy, "so you can find the arrows as I shoot them." So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.H559H5288H7323H4672H2671H3384H5288H7323H3384H2678H567437When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, "The arrow is still ahead of you.H5288H935H4725H2678H3083H3384H3083H7121H310H5288H559H2678H197338Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master.H3083H7121H310H5288H4120H2363H5975H3083H5288H3950H2671H2678H935H11339He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal.H5288H3045H3972H3083H1732H3045H169740Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.H3083H5414H3627H5288H559H3212H935H589241As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile

. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.H5288H935H1732H6965H681H5045H5307H639H776H7812H7969H6471H5401H376H7453H1058H376H7453H1732H143142At last Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the LORD's name. The LORD is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever." Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town

.H3083H559H1732H3212H7965H7650H8147H8034H3068H559H3068H2233H2233H5704H5769H6965H3212H3083H935H5892