1Samuel 20 - Prayer Tents

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?"H1732H1272H5121H7414H935H559H6440H3083H6213H5771H2403H6440H1H1245H5315 2"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!"H559H2486H4191H1H6213H6213H1697H1419H6996H1540H241H1H5641H1697 3Then 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!"H1732H7650H559H1H3045H3045H4672H2580H5869H559H3083H3045H6087H199H3068H2416H5315H2416H6587H4194 4"Tell me what I can do to help you," Jonathan exclaimed.H559H3083H1732H5315H559H6213 5David 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.H1732H559H3083H4279H2320H3427H3427H4428H398H7971H5641H7704H7992H6153 6If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.H1H6485H6485H559H1732H7592H7592H7323H1035H5892H3117H2077H4940 7If 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.H559H2896H5650H7965H2734H2734H3045H7451H3615 8Show 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!"H6213H2617H5650H935H5650H1285H3068H3426H5771H4191H935H1 9"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."H3083H559H2486H3045H3045H7451H3615H1H935H5046 10Then David asked, "How will I know whether or not your father is angry?"H559H1732H3083H5046H1H6030H7186 11"Come out to the field with me," Jonathan replied. And they went out there together.H3083H559H1732H3212H3318H7704H3318H8147H7704 12Then 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.H3083H559H1732H3068H430H3478H2713H1H4279H6256H7992H2895H1732H7971H1540H241 13But 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.H3068H6213H3541H3254H3083H3190H1H7451H1540H241H7971H1980H7965H3068H1 14And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die,H518H2416H6213H2617H3068H4191 15treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth."H3772H2617H1004H5704H5769H3068H3772H341H1732H376H6440H127 16So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, "May the LORD destroy all your enemies!"H3083H3772H1004H1732H3068H1245H3027H1732H341 17And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.H3083H1732H7650H3254H160H157H160H5315 18Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty.H3083H559H1732H4279H2320H6485H4186H6485 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile.H8027H3381H3966H935H4725H5641H3117H4639H3427H681H68H237 20I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target.H3384H7969H2671H6654H7971H4307 21Then 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.H7971H5288H3212H4672H2671H559H559H5288H2671H3947H935H7965H1697H3068H2416 22But 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.H559H5958H2671H1973H3212H3068H7971 23And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them."H1697H1696H3068H5704H5769 24So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat.H1732H5641H7704H2320H4428H3427H398H3899 25He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David's place was empty.H4428H3427H4186H6471H4186H7023H3083H6965H74H3427H7586H6654H1732H4725H6485 26Saul didn't say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, "Something must have made David ceremonially unclean."H7586H1696H3972H3117H559H4745H1115H2889H2889 27But 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?"H4283H8145H2320H1732H4725H6485H7586H559H3083H1121H935H1121H3448H3899H8543H3117 28Jonathan replied, "David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem.H3083H6030H7586H1732H7592H7592H5978H1035 29He 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."H559H7971H4940H2077H5892H251H6680H4672H2580H5869H4422H7200H251H935H4428H7979 30Saul 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?H7586H639H2734H3083H559H1121H5753H4780H3045H977H1121H3448H1322H1322H517H6172 31As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you'll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!"H3117H1121H3448H2425H127H3559H4438H7971H3947H1121H4194 32"But why should he be put to death?" Jonathan asked his father. "What has he done?"H3083H6030H7586H1H559H4191H6213 33Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.H7586H2904H2595H5221H3083H3045H3617H1H4191H1732 34Jonathan 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.H3083H6965H7979H2750H639H398H3899H8145H3117H2320H6087H1732H1H3637 35The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.H1242H3083H3318H7704H4150H1732H6996H5288 36"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.H559H5288H7323H4672H2671H3384H5288H7323H3384H2678H5674 37When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, "The arrow is still ahead of you.H5288H935H4725H2678H3083H3384H3083H7121H310H5288H559H2678H1973 38Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master.H3083H7121H310H5288H4120H2363H5975H3083H5288H3950H2671H2678H935H113 39He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal.H5288H3045H3972H3083H1732H3045H1697 40Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.H3083H5414H3627H5288H559H3212H935H5892 41As 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.H5288H935H1732H6965H681H5045H5307H639H776H7812H7969H6471H5401H376H7453H1058H376H7453H1732H1431 42At 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