CLOSE FRIENDS
1 Samuel 20:1-42
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, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will
do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and
why should my father hide this thing from me? it [is] not [so]. 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. 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
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. 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. 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? 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? 10 Then said David
to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what [if] 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, 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 shew it thee; 13 The LORD do so and
much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father [to do] thee
evil, then I will shew 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. 14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew
me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: 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. 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 shalt 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 [thereof], as though I
shot at a mark. 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. 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. 23 And
[as touching] 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 was come, the king sat
him down to eat meat. 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 spake 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 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 Bethlehem: 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. 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? 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 shall he be slain? what hath he done? 33 And Saul cast
a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was
determined of his father to slay David. 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. 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
out 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 any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40
And Jonathan gave his artillery 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 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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