1 Samuel 20:1-42
20 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah,—and came in and said before Jonathan—What have I done? What is my transgression, and what my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
2 And he said unto him—Far be it! thou shalt not die. Lo! my father doeth nothing, great or small, without unveiling mine ear,—wherefore, then, should my father hide from me this thing? There is nothing in this.
3 But David sware yet further and said—Thy father doth know that I have found favour in thine eyes, therefore saith he,—Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he grieve; but indeed by the life of Yahweh, and by the life of thine own soul, surely there is but as it were a step betwixt me and death!
4 And Jonathan said unto David,—Whatsoever thy soul shall desire, I will do for thee.
5 And David said unto Jonathan—Lo! the new moon is to-morrow, and I must not sit with the king to eat,—let me go then and hide myself in the field, until the evening.
6 If thy father enquire for me, then shalt thou say—David did ask leave of me to run to Bethlehem, his own city, for a yearly sacrifice [is to be held] there for all the family.
7 If thus he say—It is well,—thy servant shall have peace,—but if it anger him, know that harm hath been determined by him.
8 Thus shalt thou do a lovingkindness for thy servant, for into a covenant of Yahweh hast thou brought thy servant with thee,—But, if there is in me transgression, put me to death thyself, for unto thy father wherefore shouldst thou bring me in?
9 And Jonathan said—Far be it from thee! but if I get to know that harm is determined by my father to bring it upon thee, is not that the thing that I will tell thee?
10 Then said David unto Jonathan, Who shall tell me,—if thy father answer thee aught that is harsh?
11 And Jonathan said unto David, Come! and let us go out into the field. And they two went out into the field.
12 Then said Jonathan unto David—Witness [be] Yahweh God of Israel that I will sound my father about this time to-morrow or the third day, and lo! if there be good towards David, will I not then send unto thee, and unveil thine ear?
13 So let Yahweh do unto Jonathan, and so let him add—when harm against thee seemeth good unto my father, then will I unveil thine ear, and let thee go and thou shall depart in peace,—then Yahweh be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
14 And not only while I yet live shalt thou deal with me in the lovingkindness of Yahweh that I die not:
15 but thou shalt not cut off thy lovingkindness from my house unto times age-abiding,—no! not when Yahweh hath cut off the enemies of David, every one from off the face of the ground.
16 Thus Jonathan solemnised a covenant with the house of David [saying],—So let Yahweh require it at the hand of the enemies of David.
17 And again Jonathan sware unto David, by his love to him,—for as he loved his own soul, so loved he him.
18 Then said Jonathan unto him—To-morrow is the new moon, and thou wilt be missed, for thy seat will be empty;
19 and when thou hast tarried three days, thou shalt come down quickly and enter the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the deed, and shall remain by the side of this mound.
20 And as for me—three arrows to the side will I shoot,—as though I shot at a mark.
21 And lo! I will send the boy [saying], Go, find the arrow! If I say to the boy—Lo! the arrows are on this side of thee—take them, then come, for there is peace for thee and no cause [for fear] by the life of Yahweh.
22 But if thus I say to the youth, Lo! the arrows are beyond thee, depart, for Yahweh hath sent thee away.
23 But as touching the matter whereof we spake—I and thou, lo! Yahweh be betwixt me and thee unto times age-abiding.
24 So David hid himself in the field—and when the new moon had come, the king sat down to eat food,
25 yea the king sat down on his seat as at other times by the seat against the wall, and when Jonathan arose, Abner seated himself by the side of Saul,—but David’s place was empty.
26 Saul, however, spake nothing that day,—for he said to himself—It is an accident, he is not clean, because he hath not been cleansed.
27 And it came to pass, on the morrow, the second of the month, that David’s place was empty,—and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore hath not the son of Jesse come in either yesterday or to-day to meat?
28 And Jonathan answered Saul,—David asked leave of me [to go] as far as Bethlehem;
29 and said—Let me go, I pray thee, for a family sacrifice have we in the city, and my brethren have commanded me, now, therefore, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me slip away, I pray thee, that I may see my brethren. For this cause hath he not come in unto the table of the king.
30 Then was Saul’s anger kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of rebellious perversity! do I not know that thou art confederate with the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and to the confusion of the shame of thy mother?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth on the ground, thou wilt not be established, thou nor thy kingdom, Now, therefore, send and fetch him unto me, for doomed to death is he!
32 And Jonathan responded to Saul his father,—and said unto him—Wherefore must he be put to death What hath he done?
33 And Saul hurled his spear at him to smite him. So Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death.
34 Jonathan therefore rose up from the table in a glow of anger,—and did eat no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had reviled him.
35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went forth into the field to the place appointed with David,—a little lad being with him.
36 And he said to his lad—Run, find, I pray thee, the arrows which I am about to shoot. The boy ran, but he shot the arrow beyond him.
37 And when the lad came as far as 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, Haste thee—be quick, do not stay! So Jonathan’s lad picked up the arrows and brought [them] unto his master.
39 But the lad knew nothing, only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 So Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad and said to him, Go carry them into the city.
41 As soon as the lad was gone, David arose from beside the South, and fell on his face to the earth and bowed himself down three times,—and they kissed each other and wept over each other, until David exceeded.
42 Then said Jonathan unto David—Go in peace,—[remembering] that we have both sworn in the name of Yahweh, saying, Yahweh shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, unto times age-abiding. And he arose and departed,—and Jonathan entered the city.