1 Samuel, Chapter 20:

Verses from 1 Samuel, Chapter 20 of the book of 1 Samuel in the Bible.

David and Jonathan make an alliance

• 1. Then David fled from Naioth, in Ramah, went to Jonathan and asked him: “What have I done? What is my crime? What sin did I commit against your father that he wanted to take my life?”
• 2. “Don’t even think about it,” Jonathan replied; “you will not be killed! My father won't do anything without telling me first, whether it's important or not. Why would he hide this from me? That's not it!"
• 3. David, however, swore an oath and said: “Your father knows very well that I count on your sympathy, and he thought: 'Jonathan must not know this so as not to be saddened'. However, I swear by the name of the Lord and by your life that I am one step away from death.”
• 4. Jonathan said to David, “I will do whatever you think is necessary.”
• 5. Then David said, “Tomorrow is the feast of the new moon, and I must dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until late afternoon the day after tomorrow.
• 6. If your father misses me, tell him: David insisted that I allow him to go to Bethlehem, his hometown, because of the annual sacrifice being made there by his entire clan.
• 7. If he says, 'All right,' then his servant will be safe. But if he becomes very angry, you can be sure that he is determined to do me harm.
• 8. But be loyal to your servant, for we have made a covenant before the Lord. If I'm guilty, kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
• 9. Jonathan said, “Don’t even think about it! If I have the slightest suspicion that my father is determined to kill you, I will certainly warn you!”
• 10. David asked, “Who will tell me if his father responds harshly?”
• 11. Jonathan said, “Come, let’s go to the field.” They went,
• 12. And Jonathan said to David, “By the Lord, the God of Israel, I promise that I will search my father at this time the day after tomorrow! I will know whether or not his intentions are good towards you, and I will send you a message.
• 13. And if my father wishes to harm you, may the Lord punish me severely, if I do not inform him of this and do not let him go safely. The Lord be with you as he was with my father.
• 14. If I remain alive, be loyal to me, with the loyalty of the Lord; but if I die,
• 15. Never stop being loyal to my family, even when the Lord eliminates all of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
• 16. So Jonathan made a covenant with David's family, saying, “May the Lord call David's enemies to account.”
• 17. And Jonathan made David reaffirm his oath of friendship, for he was his loyal friend.
• 18. Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the festival of the new moon. You will be missed because your chair will be empty.
• 19. The day after tomorrow, go to the place where you hid when all this began and wait by Ezel's stone.
• 20. I will shoot three arrows at her side, as if I were shooting at a target,
• 21. and I will send a boy to look for the arrows. If I shout to him, The arrows are over here, bring them here, you may come, for I swear by the name of the Lord that you will be safe; there will be no danger.
• 22. But if I shout to him, Look, the arrows are over there, go away, for the Lord tells you to go.
• 23. As for our agreement, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”
• 24. Then David hid himself in the field. When the new moon festival arrived, the king sat down at the table.
• 25. He took his usual place, next to the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.
• 26. Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David, leaving him ceremonially unclean. He is certainly unclean.”
• 27. The next day, the second day of the new moon festival, David's place remained empty. Then Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal yesterday or today?”
• 28. Jonathan replied, “David persistently asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem,
• 29. saying, 'Let me go, for our family will offer a sacrifice in the city, and my brother ordered me to be there. If I count on your sympathy, let me go and see my brothers.' That’s why he didn’t come to the king’s table.”
• 30. Saul's anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “Son of a wicked and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have supported the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of her who gave birth to him?
• 31. As long as the son of Jesse lives, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must die!”
• 32. Jonathan asked his father, “Why must he die? What did he do?"
• 33. Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him. And so Jonathan saw that his father was really determined to kill David.
• 34. Jonathan got up from the table very angry; On that second day of the new moon festival he did not eat, saddened because his father had humiliated David.
• 35. In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field to meet David. He took a boy with him
• 36. and said to him, “Run and fetch the arrows I shoot.” The boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow past him.
• 37. When the boy reached the place where the arrow had fallen, Jonathan shouted, “Is the arrow no longer there?
• 38. Let's go! Fast! Do not stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned
• 39. without knowing anything, because only Jonathan and David knew what they had agreed.
• 40. Then Jonathan gave the boy his weapons and said, “Go, take them back to the city.”
• 41. After the boy had gone, David came out from the south side of the rock and bowed down to Jonathan three times with his face to the ground. Then they said goodbye, kissing each other and crying; David wept even more than Jonathan.
• 42. And he said to David, “Go in peace, for we swore to one another in the name of the Lord when we said, The Lord is a witness forever between us and among our descendants.”
• 43. Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the city.

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