1 Samuel 20:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.

NIV: But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.

NASB: If it pleases my father to do you harm, may the Lord do so to me and more so, if I fail to inform you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. And may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.

CSB: If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely if I do not tell you and send you away so you may leave safely. May the Lord be with you, just as he was with my father.

NLT: But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the Lord strike me and even kill me if I don’t warn you so you can escape and live. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: may the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.

First Samuel 20:12–17 records Jonathan's vows of loyalty to David. David has warned that Jonathan's father, King Saul, wants David dead. Jonathan doesn't believe him. But he agrees to David's plan to uncover the truth (1 Samuel 20:1–11). Now, Jonathan vows his allegiance to David and begs for David's protection when he becomes king. Next, Jonathan will refine and fulfill David's plan. When he finds out his father's twisted intent, he returns to alert David, and they part ways (1 Samuel 20:18–42).

In 1 Samuel 20, David flees Saul for good. David goes to Jonathan at Gibeah to ask why Saul is trying to kill him. Jonathan agrees to find out. The two swear oaths of commitment to each other and plan to learn Saul's intentions. At the feast of the new moon, Saul becomes enraged at David's absence, as well as Jonathan's misplaced loyalty, and Jonathan knows David is in danger. The next day, Jonathan signals to David that he must flee. They part with tears and affirmations of their sworn friendship to each other.

David knows Saul wants to kill him (1 Samuel 19), but Jonathan can't accept it. The two decide to prove the king's intent, and Jonathan finally admits David's right. They part, trusting in their oath of friendship. David flees to Nob, where he tricks the priest out of bread and Goliath's sword, and makes a short visit to Gath. Eventually, David goes to the wilderness where his brothers meet him—along with four hundred men and their families who are in dire straits: the beginning of David's army (1 Samuel 21:1—22:5).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.