1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity or what is my sin before thy father that he seeks my life? 2 And he said unto him, No, in no wise; thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will show it me, and why should my father hide this thing from me? It shall not be so. 3 And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith in himself, Let Jonathan not know this lest he be grieved; but truly as the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, there is but a step between me and death. 4 Then Jonathan said unto David, Whatever thy soul saith, I will do it for thee. 5 And David replied unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at food, but thou shalt let me go and hide myself in the field until the evening of the third day. 6 If thy father at all misses me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem, his city, for all those of his lineage have an anniversary sacrifice. 7 If he should say, It is well; thy slave shall have peace; but if he is very wroth, then be sure that the evil is determined in him. 8 Therefore, thou shalt deal in mercy with thy slave, for thou hast brought thy slave into a covenant of the LORD with thee; notwithstanding, if there is iniquity in me, slay me thyself, for why should thou bring me to thy father? 9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee, for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would I not be obliged to show it to thee? 10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? Or what if thy father answers thee roughly? 11 And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And both of them went out into the field.
12 Then Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I shall have asked my father tomorrow at this time or after tomorrow and, behold, if there is good toward David and I then do not send unto thee and show it to thee, 13 the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do thee evil, then I will show it to thee and send thee away that thou may go in peace; and the LORD be with thee as he has been with my father. 14 And if I live, thou shalt show me the mercy of the LORD, but if I am dead, 15 thou shalt not cut off thy mercy from my house for ever. When the LORD has cut off one by one the enemies of David from the face of the earth, remove even Jonathan from thy house if I fail thee and require it at the hand of David’s enemies. 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. 17 And Jonathan swore unto David again because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon, and thou shalt be missed because thy seat will be empty. 19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the work and shalt remain by the stone Ezel; 20 and I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof as though I shot at a mark. 21 And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, then come thou, for there is peace unto thee and no hurt, as the LORD lives. 22 But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, then go away, for the LORD has sent thee away. 23 And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, let the LORD be between thee and me for ever.
24 So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon was come, the king sat down to eat bread. 25 And the king sat upon his seat as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty.
26 Nevertheless, Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. 27 And it came to pass on the next day, which was the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty, and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Why did not the son of Jesse come to food, neither yesterday nor today? 28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for those of our lineage have a sacrifice in the city, and my brother, he has commanded me to be there, and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he has not come unto the king’s table.
30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion and unto the confusion of thy mother’s shame? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the land, thou shalt not be established nor thy kingdom. Therefore, now send and bring him unto me, for he shall surely die. 32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said unto him, Why shall he be slain? What has he done? 33 And Saul cast a spear at him to smite him whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. 34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David and because his father had done him shame.
35 And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 36 And he said unto his lad, Run and find the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? 38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the lad did not understand anything; only Jonathan and David understood the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. 41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the Negev and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times, and they kissed one another and wept one with another, although David exceeded. 42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed, and Jonathan entered into the city.