David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?”
But he said to him, “Far from it! You will not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without making it known to me, so why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.”
But David swore again and said, “Your father knows, yes, knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he said to himself, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul desires, I will do it for you.”
So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I am to sit, yes, sit with the king to eat, but let me go so that I can hide myself in the field until the third day at evening.
If your father notices, yes, notices my absence, then say, ‘David asked, yes, asked me if he could run to Bethlehem, his city, for it is the yearly sacrifice there for the entire clan.’
If he says, ‘Good,” then it is well with your servant. But if he becomes angry, yes, angry, then know that evil has been decided by him.
So deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself. Why should you bring me to your father?”
But Jonathan said, “Heaven forbid!” For if I were to know, yes, know that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell that to you?”
Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me? What if your father answers you roughly?”
Jonathan said to David, “Come and let’s go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
Jonathan said to David, “By Yahweh the God of Israel, when I have investigated my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, will I not then send to you and make it known to you?
Yahweh do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I do not make it known to you and send you away, so that you can go in peace, and Yahweh be with you as he has been with my father.
Will you not, while I am still alive, will you not deal with me according to the faithfulness of Yahweh, so that I do not die?
And also do not cut off your faithfulness from my house forever, no, not even when Yahweh has cut off the enemies of David—every one of them—from the face of the ground.”
So Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let Yahweh seek it from the hand of David’s enemies.”
And Jonathan made David swear an oath again because of the love that he had for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be noticed because your empty place will be noticed.
When you have stayed away three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and wait by the stone Ezel.
I will shoot three arrows to its side as though I shot at a target.
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, get them,’ then come, for as Yahweh lives there is peace to you and no problem.
But if I say this to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for Yahweh has sent you away.
And as for the matter about which you and I have spoken, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”
So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon had come, the king sat down at the feast to eat.
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.
Nevertheless, Saul did not say anything that day because he said to himself, “It is an accident. He is not ritually clean. Surely he is not clean.”
But on the next day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was empty. Then Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast either yesterday or today?”
Jonathan answered Saul, “David asked, yes, asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.
He said, ‘Please let me go, for our clan has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse rebellion! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth you will not be established, nor your kingdom. So now send and bring him to me, for he must die!”
And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down, and so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
So Jonathan arose from the table in blazing anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was pained for David because his father had dishonored him.
So in the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a young boy was with him.
And he said to his lad, “Run, find the arrows that I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
When the boy had come to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called to the boy and said, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”
Jonathan called out to the boy, “Go fast! Hurry! Do not stop!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his lord.
But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”
As soon as the boy was gone, David arose from the south of the stone Ezel and fell with his face to the ground and bowed down three times. They kissed one another and wept with one another, and David continued weeping a great deal.
Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn, the two of us, in the name of Yahweh, saying, ‘Yahweh will be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed forever.’” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.