20:5 David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly expected to join the king for a meal. 1 You must send me away so I can hide in the field until the third evening from now. 20:6 If your father happens to miss me, you should say, ‘David urgently requested me to let him go 2 to his city Bethlehem, 3 for there is an annual sacrifice there for his entire family.’ 20:7 If he should then say, ‘That’s fine,’ 4 then your servant is safe. But if he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me. 5 20:8 You must be loyal 6 to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the Lord’s name. 7 If I am guilty, 8 you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?”
20:9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?” 20:10 David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” 20:11 Jonathan said to David, “Come on. Let’s go out to the field.”
When the two of them had gone out into the field,
1 tn Heb “and I must surely sit with the king to eat.” The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
2 tn Heb “to run.”
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
3 tn Heb “good.”
4 tn Heb “know that the evil is completed from with him.”
4 tn Heb “and you must do loyalty.”
5 tn Heb “for into a covenant of the
6 tn Heb “and if there is in me guilt.”