1
David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came before Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin against your father that he is trying to take my life?"
2
He said to him, "Far from it! You shall not die. My father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me; and why should my father hide this from me? Never!"
3
But David also swore, "Your father knows well that you like me; and he thinks, "Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But truly, as the
12
Jonathan said to David, "By the
18
Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon; you will be missed, because your place will be empty.
19
On the day after tomorrow, you shall go a long way down; go to the place where you hid yourself earlier, and remain beside the stone there. 3
20
I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
21
Then I will send the boy, saying, "Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the boy, "Look, the arrows are on this side of you, collect them,' then you are to come, for, as the
24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat at the feast to eat. 25 The king sat upon his seat, as at other times, upon the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood, while Abner sat by Saul's side; but David's place was empty.
26 Saul did not say anything that day; for he thought, "Something has befallen him; he is not clean, surely he is not clean." 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast, either yesterday or today?" 28 Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem; 29 he said, "Let me go; for our family is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, let me get away, and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."
30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan. He said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." 32 Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" 33 But Saul threw his spear at him to strike him; so Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father to put David to death. 34 Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, and because his father had disgraced him.
35
In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him was a little boy.
36
He said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows that I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37
When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called after the boy and said, "Is the arrow not beyond you?"
38
Jonathan called after the boy, "Hurry, be quick, do not linger." So Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
39
But the boy knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.
40
Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said to him, "Go and carry them to the city."
41
As soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap 5 and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He bowed three times, and they kissed each other, and wept with each other; David wept the more. 6
42
Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the