1 Samuel 20:12

10 Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

11 “Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field,

and Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?

13 But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father.

14 And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
and Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?
KJV
And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD 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;
WEB
Jonathan said to David, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, won’t I then send to you and disclose it to you?
ASV
And Jonathan said unto David, Jehovah, the God of Israel, [be witness]: when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, [or] the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee?
DARBY
And Jonathan said to David, Jehovah, God of Israel, when I sound my father about this time to-morrow, [or] the next day, and behold, there be good toward David, and I then send not to thee, and apprise thee of it,
BLB
And Jonathan said to David, “[By] YHWH, God of Israel—when I have sounded out my father by this time tomorrow [or] the third, and behold, [there is] good toward David, then will I not send to you and tell you.
ÅB
Og Jonatan sa til David: Ved Herren, Israels Gud: Når jeg utforsker min far imorgen eller iovermorgen på denne tid og ser han er vel sinnet mot David, og jeg så ikke sender bud til deg og åpenbarer deg det,
OTB
Da sa Jonatan til David: "Herren, Israels Gud, være vitne! Når jeg har undersøkt min far om denne tiden i morgen eller den tredje dagen, hvis alt er vel med David, skal jeg da ikke sende ord til deg og avsløre det for deg?
B1930
Og Jonatan sa til David: Ved Herren, Israels Gud: Når jeg utforsker min far imorgen eller iovermorgen på denne tid og ser han er vel sinnet mot David, og jeg så ikke sender bud til dig og åpenbarer dig det,

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references