1 Samuel 20:1-42 Jonathan Signals to David with Arrows If It’s Safe to Return

Jonathan Signals to David with Arrows If It’s Safe to Return

1 Samuel 20:1-42               The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks]

David fled from Naioth in Ramah, & came & said [in front of] Jonathan, What have I done? What is [my] iniquity & my sin before your father, that he [seeks] [to take] my life? [Jonathan] said, to [David,] God forbid; you [shall] not die.

[Look,] my father [won’t] do [anything] either [large] or small [without] [showing] it [to] me. Why should my father hide this thing from me? It isn’t so. And David [also swore,] & said, Your father certainly [knows] that I have found grace in your eyes, [so] he [says, Don’t] let Jonathan know this, lest he [becomes upset.]

But truly as the Lord Lives & as your soul [lives,] there is [barely] a step between me & death. Then Jonathan said, [Whatever] your soul [desires] I will even do it for you.

And David said to Jonathan, [Look,] tomorrow is the new moon, & I shouldn’t fail to sit with the king at [dinner,] but let me go, [so] that I may hide myself in the field [until evening on] the 3rd day.

If your father [misses] me at all, then say, David earnestly asked [permission] [from] me to leave, [so] that he might run to his city, Bethlehem, for the yearly sacrifice there for all [their] family. If [Saul says this, All] is well; [I,] your servant, shall have peace.

But if [he’s] very [angry,] then be sure that [he] [has] determined evil [for me.] Therefore, you [shall] deal kindly with [me,] your servant; for you [have] brought [me,] your servant into a covenant, [a.k.a. contract,] of the Lord with you.

[However,] if there [is any sin] in me, [kill] me yourself; for why [should] you bring me to your father? Jonathan said, Far be it from [happening to] you. For if I certainly knew [something] [bad was planned] by my father to [happen to] you, then wouldn’t I tell you?

Then, David [asked] Johnathan, Who shall tell me? Or what if your father [answers] you [angrily?] Jonathan said to David, Come, & let’s go out, into the field & they both went into the field.

And Jonathan said to David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have [questioned] my father about [this] tomorrow, or [on] the 3rd day, [see,] if [there's] good toward David, I then [don’t] send to you, & [declare] it to you, [then let] the Lord do so & much more to [me,] Jonathan.

But if it [pleases] my father to do evil [to] you, then I will [declare] it [to] you, & send you away, [so] that you [may] go in peace, & [may] the Lord be with you, [like] He [has] been with my father.

And you [shall] not only [show] me the kindness of the Lord, while I [still] live, so I [don’t] die. But you [shall] also not [stop] your kindness from my house, [a.k.a. family,] forever, not [even] when the Lord [has] cut off [all your] enemies, David, from the [surface] of the earth.

So, Jonathan made a covenant, [a.k.a. contract,] with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require [this,] at the hand of David’s enemies. And Jonathan [had] David swear [to the vow] again, [because Jonathan] loved [David like] his own soul, [a.k.a. life.]

Then, Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon, & you [shall] be missed, because your seat will be empty. When you have stayed [away] 3 days, then go down quickly, & come to the place where you [hid] yourself when the [trouble began,] & [you] [shall wait] by the stone: Ezel.

I will shoot 3 arrows on the side [of it,] as though I shot at a [target.] And [see,] I will send a lad, saying, Go & find the arrows. If I [distinctly] say to the lad, [Look,] the arrows are on this side of you, take them; then you come [back,] [because] there is peace [toward] you, & no [harm,] as the Lord Lives.

But if I say to the young man, [Look,] the arrows are beyond you; [then] go [on] your way, for the Lord [has] sent you away. [About] the matter [that we] have spoken of, [see,] the Lord [is] between you & me forever.

So, David hid himself in the field, & when the new moon [had] come, the king sat [himself] down to eat [dinner.]  And the king sat upon his seat by the wall, [as usual] [to eat dinner.] And Jonathan [rose up,] & Abner sat by Saul’s side, & David’s place was empty.

However,] Saul [didn’t say] anything that day, [because] he thought, Something [has happened to] him, & surely David is [unclean] [& can’t come.] It [happened] on the [next day,] the 2nd day of the month, that David’s place was empty.

And Saul [asked] Jonathan, his son, [Why doesn’t] [David,] the son of Jesse, come to [dinner,] yesterday [or] today?

Jonathan answered Saul, David [sincerely] asked [permission from] me to go to Bethlehem. And [David] said, I pray [that] you let me go, for our family [has] a sacrifice in the city; & my brother [has] commanded me to be there.

Now, if I’ve found favor in your eyes, let me [go] away, I pray you, [to] see my brethren. [That’s why] he [hasn’t come] to the king’s table. Then, Saul’s anger [grew] against Jonathan, & [Saul] said to him, You son of [an unfaithful] & rebellious woman.

Don’t [you think] I know you are [confused,] & [have] chosen the son of Jesse [over me] to your own [shame] & to the [disgrace revealed about] your [mother?] For as long as the son of Jesse [lives on the earth,] you, nor your kingdom [shall] be established.

[For this reason,] send [for David,] & [bring him] to me now, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan answered Saul, his father, [Why] shall he be [killed?] What [has] he done? And Saul [threw a spear] at him to [kill] him; [by this,] Jonathan knew his father was determined to [kill] David.

So, Jonathan [rose up] from the table in fierce anger, & didn’t eat [any dinner,] the 2nd day of the month. For Jonathan was grieved for David, because his father had [caused] him shame.

And it [happened] in the morning, Jonathan & a little lad with him, went out into the field, at the time [pre-arranged] with David. And [Jonathan] said to [the] lad, Run now, & find the arrows [that] I shoot. And as the lad ran, [Jonathan] shot the arrows beyond [the lad.]

And when the lad [came] to the place the arrow [was] shot, Jonathan cried [out] [to] the lad, & said, Isn’t the arrow beyond you? And Jonathan cried [out] after the lad, [Don't] stay, & hurry [with] [great] speed.] Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows, & came to his master, [a.k.a. Jonathan,] but [the lad] knew [nothing.] Only Jonathan & David knew the matter.

And Jonathan gave his [weapons] to the lad, & said, Go, carry them to the city. And as soon as the lad was gone, David [rose] out of [his hiding] place toward the South, & fell [down] [facing] the ground, & bowed 3 times, & they: kissed & wept with one another, [but] David [wept even more.]

And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, [since] we have both sworn in the Name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between you & me, & my seed, [a.k.a. descendants,] forever. [Then David rose] & departed, & Jonathan went into the city.