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The First Book of Samuel, Chapter 20
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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?
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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.
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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.
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4 |
Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I
will even do it for thee.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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?
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10 |
Then
said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father
answer thee roughly?
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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.
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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;
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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.
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14 |
And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of
the LORD, that I die not:
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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.
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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.
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17 |
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him:
for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
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18 |
Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou
shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
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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.
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20 |
And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I
shot at a mark.
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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.
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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.
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23 |
And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of,
behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.
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24 |
So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was
come, the king sat him down to eat meat.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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28 |
And Jonathan answered Saul, David
earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:
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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.
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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?
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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.
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32 |
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him,
Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?
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33 |
And Saul cast a
javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was
determined of his father to slay David.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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39 |
But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the
matter.
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40 |
And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him,
Go, carry them to the city.
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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.
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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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