1 Samuel 20:2

20:2 Jonathan ¹  said to him, “By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing ²  large or small without making me aware of it. ³  Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”

1 Samuel 20:12-13

20:12 Jonathan said to David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness. ⁴  I will feel out my father about this time the day after tomorrow. If he is favorably inclined toward David, will I not then send word to you and let you know? ⁵  20:13 But if my father intends to do you harm, may the Lord do all this and more to Jonathan, if I don’t let you know ⁶  and send word to you so you can go safely on your way. ⁷  May the Lord be with you, as he was with my father.

[20:2]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ² tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and the ancient versions in reading “he will not do,” rather than the Kethib of the MT (“do to him”).

[20:2]  ³ tn Heb “without uncovering my ear.”

[20:12]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text has simply “the Lord God of Israel.” On the basis of the Syriac version, many reconstruct the text to read “[is] my witness,” which may have fallen out of the text by homoioarcton (an error which is entirely possible if עֵד, ’ed, “witness,” immediately followed ַָדוִד, “David,” in the original text).

[20:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “and uncover your ear.”

[20:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “uncover your ear.”

[20:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “in peace.”