And 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?”
And he said to him: “Far be it — you shall not die. Look, my father does nothing great or small without uncovering my ear. So why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.”
And David swore again and said: “Your father surely knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Let Jonathan not know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives — there is but a step between me and death.”
And Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul says, I will do for you.”
And David said to Jonathan: “Look — tomorrow is the new moon, and I should surely sit with the king to eat. But send me away, and I will hide myself in the field until the third evening.
If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for the yearly sacrifice is there for all the family.’
If he says this — ‘Good’ — it is peace for your servant. But if it burns hot in him, know that the evil is determined by him.
And do loyal love with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself — for why should you bring me all the way to your father?”
And Jonathan said: “Far be it from you! For if I surely knew that the evil was determined by my father to come on you, would I not tell it to you?”
Jonathan and David Renew Their Covenant
And David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
And Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out to the field.” And the two of them went out to the field.
And Jonathan said to David: “The LORD, the God of Israel, is witness: when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day — and look, if it is good toward David, will I not then send to you and uncover your ear?
Thus may the LORD do to Jonathan, and thus may he add — if it pleases my father to bring the evil on you, then I will uncover your ear and send you away, and you shall go in peace. And may the LORD be with you, as he was with my father.
And will you not, while I still live — will you not do with me the loyal love of the LORD, that I may not die?
And do not cut off your loyal love from my house forever — not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the ground.”
So Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David: “And may the LORD seek it from the hand of the enemies of David.”
And Jonathan made David swear again, by his love for him — for he loved him with the love of his own soul.
And Jonathan said to him: “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty.
And on the third day go far down, and come to the place where you hid yourself on the day of the deed, and stay beside the stone Ezel.
And I will shoot three arrows to its side, as though I were shooting at a target.
And look — I will send the boy: ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say plainly to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you — take them,’ then come, for it is peace for you, and there is nothing — as the LORD lives.
But if I say this to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go — for the LORD has sent you away.
And as for the word that we have spoken, I and you — look, the LORD is between me and you forever.”
And David hid himself in the field. And the new moon came, and the king sat down at the meal to eat.
And the king sat on his seat, as time after time, on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan rose, and Abner sat at Saul’s side — and David’s place was empty.
And Saul did not speak anything that day, for he said, “It is a chance happening; he is not clean — surely he is not clean.”
And it was the next day, the second of the new moon, that David’s place was empty; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
And Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
And he said, ‘Send me away, please, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother himself commanded me. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me slip away, please, and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”
Saul Seeks to Kill Jonathan
And Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him: “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse — to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
For all the days that the son of Jesse lives on the ground, you will not be established, you or your kingship. And now, send and take him to me — for he is a son of death.”
And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
And Saul hurled the spear at him to strike him; and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death.
And Jonathan rose from the table in burning anger, and he did not eat bread on the second day of the new moon — for he was grieved over David, because his father had humiliated him.
And it was in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field, to the appointed place with David, and a small boy was with him.
And he said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows that I shoot.” The boy ran — and he shot the arrow beyond him.
And the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot; and Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is the arrow not beyond you?”
And Jonathan called after the boy, “Quickly! Hurry — do not stand still!” And Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
And the boy knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
And Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy who was his, and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.”
The boy went; and David rose from beside the south side, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed each other, and wept with each other — until David wept the more.
And Jonathan said to David: “Go in peace — since we have sworn, the two of us, in the name of the LORD, saying: The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.” And he rose and went; and Jonathan came to the city.
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