1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is my iniquity? and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life? 2And he said to him, Far from it; you shall not die: behold, my father does nothing either great or small, without disclosing it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. 3And David swore moreover, and said, Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as Yehovah lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death. 4Then Jonathan said to David, Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you. 5And David said to Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at the meal: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at evening. 6If your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7If he says thus, It is well; your servant shall have peace: but if he is angry, then know that evil is determined by him. 8Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yehovah with you: but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father? 9And Jonathan said, Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon you, would I not tell it to you? 10Then David said to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perhaps your father answers you roughly? 11And Jonathan said to David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they both went out into the field. 12And Jonathan said to David, Yehovah, the God of Israel, be witness: when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you? 13Yehovah do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I do not disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and Yehovah be with you, as he has been with my father. 14And you shall not only while I still live show me the lovingkindness of Yehovah, that I may not die; 15but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when Yehovah has cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And Yehovah will require it at the hand of David’s enemies. 17And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had for him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18Then Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19And when you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. 20And I will shoot three arrows to its side, as though I shot at a mark. 21And, behold, I will send the boy, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I say to the boy, Behold, the arrows are on this side of you; take them, and come; for there is peace to you and no harm, as Yehovah lives. 22But if I say thus to the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond you; go your way; for Yehovah has sent you away. 23And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yehovah is between you and me forever. 24So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon had come, the king sat down to eat food. 25And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side: but David’s place was empty. 26Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day: for he thought, Something has happened to him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. 27And it happened the next day after the new moon, which was the second day, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why does the son of Jesse not come to the meal, neither yesterday, nor today? 28And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem: 29and he said, Please let me go; for our family has a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he has commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away, and see my brothers. Therefore he has not come to the king’s table. 30Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and 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? 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the ground, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and fetch him to me, for he shall surely die. 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why should he be put to death? what has he done? 33And Saul cast his spear at him to strike him; by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death. 34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him. 35And it happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. 36And he said to his boy, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37And when the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, Is not the arrow beyond you? 38And Jonathan cried after the boy, Make speed, hurry, do not stay. And Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39But the boy did not know anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city. 41And as soon as the boy had gone, David arose out of a place toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David wept the more. 42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of Yehovah, saying, Yehovah shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.