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CHAPTER SAMUEL 20
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 L
ORD
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 L
ORD
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 L
ORD
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 L
ORD
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 L
ORD
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 L
ORD
, that I die not:
15
But
also
thou shalt not cut off
thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the L
ORD
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 L
ORD
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
L
ORD
liveth.
22
But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows
are
beyond thee; go thy
369
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