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 [to] 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 great or small [without showing it to] me. Why should he hide this [from] me? It isn’t so. 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 do it for you.

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

If your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly asked [permission] to leave & [go] to his city, Bethlehem, for the yearly sacrifice there for & 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 [promise] of the Lord with you.

[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 knew [something bad] was [planned] by my father [against] you, then wouldn’t I tell you?

David [asked,] 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 did.]

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

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

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

So, Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord [take vengeance] at the hand of David’s enemies. Jonathan [had] David swear [to the vow] again, because [Jonathan] loved [David] like his own soul.

Then, Jonathan [told] 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 to the place 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.] [Look,] 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 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 your way, for the Lord has sent you away. [About] the matter [we] have spoken of, [see,] the Lord is between you & me forever.

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

[However,] Saul [didn’t [say] anything that day, [because] he thought, Something has [happened] & 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.

Saul [asked] Jonathan, his son, [Why hasn’t] [David,] the son of Jesse, come to [eat] meat yesterday [or] today?

Jonathan answered Saul, David [sincerely] asked [permission from] me to go to Bethlehem & 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. 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 shame & the disgrace of your mother?] For as long as the son of Jesse lives [on the earth,] you & your kingdom shall not be established.

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

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

It [happened] in the morning, Jonathan went out into the field & a little lad with him, at the time [planned] with David. Jonathan said to [the] lad, Run now & find the arrows [that] I shoot. As the lad ran, [Jonathan] shot the arrows beyond [the lad.]

When the lad [came] to the place the arrow [was] shot, Jonathan cried out [to] the lad & said, Isn’t the arrow beyond you? Jonathan cried out after the lad, [Hurry & don’t delay.] Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows & came to him, but [the lad] knew [nothing.] Only Jonathan & David knew the matter.

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

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 & [our descendants] forever. [Then David rose] & departed & Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel 19:1-24 Saul Tells His Servants & Jonathan to Kill David

 

Saul Tells His Servants & Jonathan to Kill David

1 Samuel 19:1-24                The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks]

Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son & all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan [was very] delighted in David & told [him,] saying, My father seeks to kill you. I pray [that] you now [pay attention] & hide [yourself] in a secret place until morning.

I will go out to the field & stand beside my father, where [you are] & I will [talk] with my father [about you] & I will tell you what [I find out.] Jonathan [spoke] good [about] David to his father, Saul.

[Jonathan] said to him, [Don’t] let the king sin against his servant, David, because he hasn’t sinned against you & his [his actions toward you are] very good. For [David risked] his life & [killed] the [Philistines.]

The Lord [worked] a great [victory] for all Israel. You saw it & [rejoiced]: [therefore, why will] you sin against innocent blood & [kill] David without a cause?

Saul [listened to] Jonathan & [swore,] As the Lord lives, [David] shall not be [killed.] Jonathan called David & [told him this] & brought David to Saul & was in his presence, [like] in the past.

There was war again & David went out & fought with the Philistines & [attacked them] with a [large] slaughter & they fled from him. The [distressing] spirit from the Lord was on Saul, as he sat in his house with the [spear] in his hand & David played [the harp] with his [hands.]

And Saul [thought to pin] David, even to the wall with [his spear,] but David slipped away [from] Saul’s presence & [Saul] threw the [spear] into the wall & David fled & escaped that night.

Saul also sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him & [kill] him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, If you [don’t] save your life tonight, you shall be [killed] tomorrow.

So, Michal let David down through a window & he escaped & fled. Michal took a goat’s hair pillow & made it [look like David’s shape of his torso] & covered it with a cloth.

When Saul sent his messenger to take David, [Michal] said, He is sick. Saul sent the messengers again to see David & [said,] Bring [David] up to me [from] the bed, [so] I may [kill] him. [But] when the messengers came in & [they saw] there was a [shape made with the goat’s hair pillow for his torso.]

Saul said to Michal, Why [have] you deceived me & sent away my enemy, [so] that he escaped? Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go. Why should I kill you?

So, David fled & escaped & came to Samuel in Ramah & told him all that Saul had done to him. They [both] went & [stayed] in Naioth. Saul [was told, Look,] David is in Naioth in Ramah.

And Saul sent messengers to take David & when they saw the [group] of prophets prophesying & Samuel standing [in charge] over them, the Spirit of God was upon [Saul’s] messengers & they also prophesied.

When Saul was told, he sent other messengers & they prophesied, [too.] And Saul sent messengers again the 3rd time & they also prophesied. Then, [Saul] went to Ramah & came to a [big] well in Sechu & asked, Where are Samuel & David? [Someone] said, [Look,] they are at Naioth in Ramah.

And [Saul] went [there] to Naioth in Ramah & the Spirit of God was also on [Saul] & he went on & prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

And [Saul took off] his clothes [too] & [he] prophesied in [a similar] manner before Samuel & lay down naked all that day & night. [For the reason,] they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

1 Samuel 18:1-30 Saul Takes David Under His Wing

 

Saul Takes David Under His Wing

1 Samuel 18:1-30               The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks]

[It happened,] when [David] had [finished] speaking with Saul, the soul of Jonathan, [Saul’s son] was [bonded] with the soul of David & Jonathan loved [David] as his own soul.

And Saul took [David] that day & wouldn’t let him go home [any] more to his father’s house. Then, Jonathan & David made a covenant, because [Jonathan] loved him as his own soul.

And Jonathan [took off] the robe that was on him & gave it & his [clothing,] sword, bow & [belt] to David. David went out [wherever] Saul sent him & behaved wisely.

Saul [put David] over the men of war & he was accepted in the sight of all the people & also Saul’s servants.

It [happened,] when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistines, that the women came out of all [the] cities of Israel, singing & dancing to [greet] king Saul with [tambourines,] with joy & [musical] instruments.

As they played, the women [said] to one another, Saul has [killed] 1,000’s & David 10,000’s. Saul was very [angry] & the saying displeased him & he said, They have [credited] David with 10,000’s, but [have only credited] me [with] 1,000’s.

What more could [David want,] but the kingdom? Saul [watched] David from that day [on.] It [happened] the [next day,] the [distressing] spirit from God came upon Saul & he prophesied in the [middle] of the house & David played [the harp] with his [hands, like] at other times.

There was a [spear] in Saul’s hand & he said, I will [strike] David [with great force] to the wall with it & [Saul] threw the [spear] & David [escaped] out of [Saul's] presence twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with [David] & [the spirit had left] Saul.

Therefore, [Saul] removed [David] from him & made [David] a captain over 1,000. [David] went out [to battle] & came back in before the people. David behaved wisely in all his ways & the Lord was with him.

[For this reason,] when Saul saw [David] behaved very wisely, [Saul] was afraid of him. But all [of] Israel & Judah loved David, because he went out [to battle] & came in before them.

And Saul said to David, [See,] my elder daughter, Merab. I will give her [to] you to [marry]: [if] only you are valiant for me & fight the Lord’s battles. For Saul [thought, Don’t] let my [hands] be upon [David,] but let the [hands] of the Philistines be upon him.

And David said to Saul, Who am I? What is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the son-in-law to the king? It [happened] when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel, the Meholathite, to [marry.]

Michal, Saul’s [youngest] daughter, loved David. They told Saul & [it] pleased him. Saul [thought,] I will give her [to David, so] she may  be a snare to him & the hands of the Philistines may be against him. [For this reason,] Saul said to David, This day, you shall be my son-in-law.

Saul commanded his servants, [Talk] with David secretly & say, [Look,] the king delights in you & all his servants love you. Therefore, now be the king’s son-in-law.

Saul’s servants [said this privately] to David & he said, [Does it seem] like a [little] thing to be the king’s son-in-law, [since] I’m a poor man & lightly [thought of?]

The [Saul’s] servants told him [what David said.] Saul [replied,] You shall say to David, The king [doesn’t] desire any dowry, but 100 [Philistine] foreskins to [avenge the king] of his enemies, but Saul thought to have David fall [at] the hand of the Philistines.

When his servants told David [this,] it pleased David to be the king’s son-in-law, [before the allotted time elapsed.] [For this reason,] David arose & went with his men & [killed] 200 Philistines & David brought the full [amount] of foreskins to the king, [so] he might be the king’s son-in-law.

Saul gave [David,] his daughter, Michal, to [marry.] And Saul knew that the Lord was with David & Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him. And Saul was [even] more afraid of David & became David’s enemy continually. It [happened] after the Philistine princes went [out,] David behaved more wisely than all [of] Saul’s servants, [so] that [David’s] name was [highly thought of.]

1 Samuel 17: 1-58 David Defends the Israelites Against Goliath

 

David Defends the Israelites Against Goliath

1 Samuel 17: 1-58               The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks]

Now, the Philistines gathered their armies together [in] Shochoh to battle, which belongs to Judah & pitched [their tents] between Shochoh & Azekah in Ephes Dammim.

And Saul & the men of Israel [Israelites] were gathered together & pitched [their tents] by the Valley of Elah & set the battle in [order] against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on a mountain on 1 side & Israel stood on a mountain on the other side & there was a valley between them.

A champion went out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath & was 6 cubits & a span tall [according to kylesconverter.com he was 9 3/4 feet tall.]

[Goliath] had a helmet of brass on his head & was armed with a coat of mail [weighing] 5,000 shekels of brass. [According to econverter.net, it weighed 121 2/3 pounds.]

He had brass [shin guards] on his legs & a [brass shield] between his shoulders. The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam & his spear’s head weighed 600 shekels of iron, [goliathsspear.com said the spear head weighed 16.11 pounds.]

[Someone carrying] a shield went [in front of Goliath.] [Goliath] stood & cried [out] & said to the armies of Israel, Why [have] you come out & set your battle in [order?] Aren’t I a Philistine & you [are] servants to Saul?

Choose a man [from] you & let him come down to me. If he [is] able to fight with me & [kills] me, then we will be your servants, but if I prevail against him & kill him, then you shall be our servants & serve us.

[Goliath] said, I [challenge] the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man, [so] we may fight together. When Saul & all [of] Israel heard [these] words of the Philistine, they were [discouraged] & greatly afraid.

Now, David, was the son of Jesse, [an] Ephrathite of Bethlehem, Judah & he had 8 sons & was an [honorable older] man among men [during] the days of Saul. [Jesse’s] 3 eldest sons: Eliab, the 1st born, Abinadab [2nd] & Shammah [3rd,] went & followed Saul to battle.

David was the youngest & the 3 eldest followed Saul. But David had [left] Saul & returned to feed his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. [Goliath came near] morning & evening for 40 days.

Jesse [told] his son, David, Take now an ephah of this [dried] corn & these 10 loaves of bread & run [them] to the camp of your [brothers] & carry these 10 cheeses to their captain of 1,000 & [see] how your [brothers are doing] & [bring back some assurance from them.]

Now, Saul & all the men of Israel, were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. David rose up early in the morning & left the sheep with a [shepherd] & went as Jesse had commanded him.

[David] came to the [camp,] as the [army] shouted & was going [forward into battle, shouting.] [Both] Israel & the Philistines had put [their armies in order against each other.]

David left his [supplies with the person in charge of supplies] & ran into the army & [greeted] his [brothers.] And as [David] talked with them & [saw] Goliath, the champion Philistine of Gath, came out of [his army] & [spoke] the same words [of challenge] & David heard them.

When they saw [Goliath] the men of Israel were [very] afraid & fled from him. The men of Israel said, Have you seen this man [who has] come up?

Surely, he [has] come up to [challenge] Israel & [whoever] kills him, the king will [give] him great riches & will give him, his daughter [to marry] & make his father’s house free in Israel.

David [spoke] to the men [standing] by him & said, What shall be done [for] the man [who] kills this Philistine & takes away [this disgrace] from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, [who challenges] the armies of the living God?

The people answered [David, like this,] saying, It shall be so, to the man [who] kills [Goliath.] Eliab, his eldest brother was [angry with] David when he heard [what David said] to the men. [Eliab] said, Why [did] you [come] down [here?]

With [whom] have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride & the naughtiness of your heart, for you [have] come down, [so] you might see the battle. David said, What have I done now? Is there any cause [to be upset?]

[David] turned from him toward another & [asked the same thing] & they answered him [as the 1st ones did.] When they [reported to] Saul [what] David [said,] he sent for [David.]

David said to Saul, Don’t let [anyone’s] heart fail because of [Goliath,] for [I,] your servant will go & fight with this Philistine. Saul said. [You] aren’t able to fight against this Philistine: for you are [just] a youth & he [is] a man of war from his youth.

David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father’s sheep & a lion & a bear took a lamb out of the flock & I went out after him & [struck] him & [rescued] it out of his mouth & when he [rose] against me, I caught him by his beard & [struck] him & killed him.

Your servant [killed] both the lion & the bear & this uncircumcised Philistine shall be [like] 1 of them, seeing he has [challenged] the armies of the living God. David [also] said, The Lord, [Who] delivered me out of the paw of the lion & the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.

And Saul said to David, Go & the Lord be with you. And Saul armed David with his [own] armor, a helmet of brass on his head & also a coat of mail. And David [strapped] his sword upon his armor & [tried to walk to test it, but couldn’t.]

David [told] Saul, I can’t go with these, for I haven’t [tested] them & [he took] them off.

[David] took his [shepherd’s] staff in his hand & chose 5 smooth stones [from] the brook & put them in [his] shepherd’s bag [that] he had, even in a [pouch] &  his sling in his hand & drew [close] to the Philistine.

And [Goliath] drew near to David & the man [who carried] his shield went [in front of Goliath.] When [Goliath] saw David, he [insulted] him, for he was [just] a youth [with a ruddy complexion & handsome appearance.]

And [Goliath] said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with [sticks?] And by his gods, [Goliath] cursed David. [Goliath] said to David, Come to me & I will give your flesh to the [birds] of the air & to the [animals] of the field.

Then, David said to [Goliath,] You come to me with a sword, a spear & a shield, but I come to you in the Name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have [challenged.]

[Today,] the Lord will deliver you into my hand & I will [kill] you & take your head from you & I will give the carcasses of the Philistine [army] to the [birds] of the air & the wild [animals] of the earth: [so] that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel.

And all the assembly shall know that the Lord doesn’t save with sword & spear: for the battle is the Lord’s & He will give you into our hands. It [happened,] when [Goliath] arose & drew [close] to meet David, that David [hurried] & ran toward the army to meet [Goliath.]

David put his hand in his bag & took [out] a stone, [slung] it & [struck Goliath] & [it] sunk into his forehead & he fell [dead] upon his face to the [ground.] David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling & a stone & [struck & killed] him, but there wasn’t [a] sword in [David’s] hand.

Therefore, David ran & stood upon Goliath & took his sword out of [its] sheath & [killed] him & cut off his head [there.] When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

And the men of all of Israel & Judah arose & shouted & pursued [after] the Philistines until they came to the valley, to the gates of Ekron. The wounded Philistines fell down by the [road of] Shaaraim, even to Gath & to Ekron.

The children [people] of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines & they [plundered] their tents. David took the head of [Goliath] & brought it to Jerusalem, but he put [Goliath’s] armor in his tent.

When Saul saw David go [out] against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the [army,] Whose son is this youth? Abner said, O king, as your soul lives, I can’t tell. [Saul] said, [Ask] whose son the young [lad] is.

And David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine & Abner took him & brought him before Saul with the head of [Goliath] in his hand. Saul said to him, Young man, whose son are you? David answered, I am the son of your servant, Jesse, the Bethlehemite.

1 Samuel 16:1-23 The Lord Sends Samuel to Anoint a Future King of Israel

 

The Lord Sends Samuel to Anoint a Future King of Israel

1 Samuel 16:1-23                The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks]

The Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, [since] I have rejected him from [ruling] over Israel? Fill your horn with oil & go. I will send you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite: for I have [selected from his sons] a king [for] Me.

And Samuel [asked,] How can I go? If Saul [hears of] it, he will kill me. The Lord said, Take a [cow] with you & say, I [have] come to sacrifice to the Lord. [Then,] call Jesse to the sacrifice & I will show you what you [shall] do & you shall anoint [for] Me the [person] whom I name to you.

Samuel did [what] the Lord [said] & came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming & [asked, Did] you come [peacefully?] [Samuel] said, [Peacefully.]

I [have] come to sacrifice to the Lord: [so] sanctify yourselves & come with me to the sacrifice. [Samuel] sanctified Jessie & his sons & called them to the sacrifice.

When they were [there,] it [happened] that [Samuel] looked [at] Eliab & said, Surely, this is the Lord’s anointed [before me.] The Lord said, Don’t look on his [appearance or his] height, because I have refused him.

For the Lord doesn’t see [like] a man sees, for a man looks [at] the outward appearance, but the Lord looks [at] the heart. Jesse called Abinadab & made him pass [in front of] Samuel & he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this [one.] Then, Jesse made Shammah pass by.

And [Samuel] said, Neither has the Lord chosen this [one.] Again, Jesse made 7 of his sons pass [in front of] Samuel & [he] said to Jesse, The Lord hasn’t chosen these. Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your children here? [Jesse] said. There [still remains] the youngest, [who is keeping] the sheep.

Samuel said to Jesse, Send [for him & bring] him for we won’t sit down [until] he comes [here.] And [Jesse] sent him in. He [had a ruddy complexion & was attractive to look at.] The Lord said, Arise & anoint him, for he is [the one.]

Then, Samuel took the horn of oil & anointed him in the midst of his brethren & the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day [on.] So, Samuel rose up & went to Ramah, but the Spirit of the Lord [left] from Saul & a [distressing] spirit from the Lord troubled him.

Saul’s servants said to him, [Look] now, a [distressing] spirit from God troubles you. Let the Lord now command your servants, [in front of] you, to [search] for a man, who is a [skillful] harp player & it shall [happen,] when a [distressing] spirit from God is upon you, he shall play [the harp] with his hands & you shall [feel better.]

And Saul said to his servants, [Look for] a man [who plays the harp] well & bring him to me. Then, 1 of the servants answered, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, [who] is [skillful] in playing [the harp.]

And [he’s] a mighty, valiant man, a man of war & [wise in what he says & a handsome] person & the Lord is with him. [For this reason,] Saul sent messengers to Jesse & said, Send me David, your son, [who] is with the sheep.

Jesse took a [donkey loaded] with bread, a bottle of wine & a kid [goat] & sent them [with] David, his son, to Saul. David came to Saul & stood before him & [Saul] loved [David] greatly & [David] became [Saul’s] armor bearer.

And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, I pray [that] you let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.

It [happened,] when the [distressing] spirit from God was upon Saul, David took a harp & played [it] with his [hands,] so Saul was refreshed & was [better] & the [distressing] spirit departed from [Saul.]