Jonathan Helps David
1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
2 He said to him, “Far from it! You will not die. My father does nothing either great or small, without disclosing it to me. Why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.”
3 But David vowed, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he says, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved,’ but truly as the Lord lives, and as you live, there is but a step between me and death.”
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your heart desires, I will surely do it for you.”
5 David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king, but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until evening of the third day. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city, for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ 7 If he says, ‘It is well,” then your servant shall have peace, but if he is angry, then know that evil has been determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you, but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?”
9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you, for if I knew anything about any evil determined by my father for you, then wouldn’t I tell you that?”
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
Jonathan and David Renew Covenant
11 Jonathan said to David, “Come! Let’s go out into the field.” They both went out into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, “By the Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, if there is good concerning David, won’t I then send to you, and disclose it to you? 13 The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do evil to you, if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 You shall not only show me the loving kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I not die, 15 but you shall also not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not even when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “The Lord will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” 17 Jonathan made David swear it again, for the love that he had for him, for he loved him as he loved himself.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed three days, go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and remain by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark. 21 I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ If I tell the boy, ‘The arrows are on this side of you. Take them,’ then come, for it is safe for you and there is no danger, as the Lord lives. 22 But if I say this to the boy, ‘The arrows are beyond you,’ then go your way, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon had come, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall, and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean.”
27 The next day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why doesn’t the son of Jesse come to eat, either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”
Saul Seeks to Kill Jonathan
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don’t I 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 on the earth, you will not be established, nor will your kingdom. Therefore now send for him and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!”
32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 So 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 treated him shamefully.
35 In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. 36 He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38 Jonathan cried after the boy, “Go fast! Hurry! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”
41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south and fell on his face to the ground and bowed down three times. They kissed one another and wept one with another, and David wept the most. 42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’ ” He arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.