1SA-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?

1SA-20:2  And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die:

behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but

that he

will show it me: and why should my father hide this thing from

me? it

[is] not [so].

1SA-20:3  And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father

certainly

knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let

not

Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly [as] the LORD

liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, [there is] but a step between

me and

death.

1SA-20:4  Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul

desireth,

I will even do [it] for thee.

1SA-20:5  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.

1SA-20:6  If thy father at all 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.

1SA-20:7  If he say thus, [It is] well; thy servant shall have

peace:

but if he be very wroth, [then] be sure that evil is determined

by

him.

1SA-20:8  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 be in me iniquity, slay me thyself;

for why

shouldest thou bring me to thy father?

1SA-20:9  And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew

certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon

thee,

then would not I tell it thee?

1SA-20:10  Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or

what

[if] thy father answer thee roughly?

1SA-20:11  And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out

into

the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

1SA-20:12  And Jonathan said unto 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 toward David, and I then send

not unto

thee, and show it thee;

1SA-20:13  The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it

please

my father [to do] thee evil, then I will show it thee, and send

thee

away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee,

as he

hath been with my father.

1SA-20:14  And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the

kindness of the LORD, that I die not:

1SA-20:15  But [also] thou shalt not cut off 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.

1SA-20:16  So Jonathan made [a covenant] with the house of David,

[saying], Let the LORD even require [it] at the hand of David's

enemies.

1SA-20:17  And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he

loved

him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

1SA-20:18  Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow [is] the new

moon:

and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.

1SA-20:19  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.

1SA-20:20  And I will shoot three arrows on the side [thereof],

as

though I shot at a mark.

1SA-20:21  And, behold, I will send a lad, [saying], Go, find

out the

arrows. If I expressly say unto 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.

1SA-20:22  But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the

arrows

[are] beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.

1SA-20:23  And [as touching] the matter which thou and I have

spoken

of, behold, the LORD [be] between thee and me for ever.

1SA-20:24  So David hid himself in the field: and when the new

moon

was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.

1SA-20:25  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.

1SA-20:26  Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he

thought, Something hath befallen him, he [is] not clean; surely

he

[is] not clean.

1SA-20:27  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

unto

Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat,

neither yesterday, nor to day?

1SA-20:28  And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked

[leave]

of me [to go] to Bethlehem:

1SA-20:29  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 favour in thine eyes, let me get

away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not

unto

the king's table.

1SA-20:30  Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and

he said

unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious [woman], do not I

know

that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion,

and

unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?

1SA-20:31  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.

1SA-20:32  And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto

him,

Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

1SA-20:33  And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby

Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

1SA-20:34  So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and

did

eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for

David,

because his father had done him shame.

1SA-20:35  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.

1SA-20:36  And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows

which I shoot. [And] as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

1SA-20:37  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?

1SA-20:38  And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste,

stay

not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his

master.

1SA-20:39  But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and

David

knew the matter.

1SA-20:40  And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and

said unto

him, Go, carry [them] to the city.

1SA-20:41  [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.

1SA-20:42  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.



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