Then David fled
from Naioth
in Ramah
, and came
and asaid
1to Jonathan
, "What
have I done
? What
is my iniquity
? And what
is my sin
before
your father
, that he is seeking
my life
?"
He said to him, "Far
from it, you shall not die
. Behold
, my father
does
nothing
either great
or
small
1without
disclosing
it to me. So why
should my father
hide
this
thing
from me? It is not so
!"
Yet David avowed
again
, 1saying
, "Your father
knows
well
that I have found
favor
in your sight
, and he has said
, `Do not let Jonathan
know
this
, or
he will be grieved
.' But truly
bas the LORD
lives
and as your soul
lives
, there is 2hardly a step
between
me and death
."
Then Jonathan said
to David
, "Whatever
1you say
, I will do
for you."
So David said
to Jonathan
, "Behold
, tomorrow
is athe new
moon
, and I ought bto sit
down
to eat
with the king
. But let
me go
, cthat I may 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 aBethlehem
his city
, because
it is bthe yearly
sacrifice
there
for the whole
family
.'
"If he 1says
, `It is good
,' your servant
will be safe
; but if
he is very
angry
, aknow
that he has decided
on evil
.
"Therefore deal kindly
with your servant
, for ayou have brought
your servant
into a covenant
of the LORD
with you. But bif
there
is iniquity
in me, put
me to death
yourself
; for why
then
should you bring
me to your father
?"
Jonathan said
, "Far
be it from you! For if
I should indeed
learn
that evil
has been decided
by my father
to come
upon you, then would I not tell
you about it?"
Then David said
to Jonathan
, "Who
will tell
me 1if
your father
answers
you harshly
?"
Jonathan said
to David
, "Come
, and let us go
out into the field
." So both
of them went
out to the field
.
Then Jonathan said
to David
, "The LORD
, 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
feeling toward
David
, shall I not then
send
to you and 1make
it known
to you?
"If it please
my father
to do you harm
, amay the LORD
do
so
to Jonathan
and more
also
, if I do not 1make
it known
to you and send
you away
, that you may go
in safety
. And bmay the LORD
be with you as He has been
with my father
.
"If I am still
alive
, will you not show
me the lovingkindness
of the LORD
, that I may not die
?
" aYou shall not cut off
your lovingkindness
from my house
forever
, not even when the LORD
cuts
off
every
one
of the enemies
of David
from the face
of the earth
."
So Jonathan made
a covenant with the house
of David
, saying, " aMay the LORD
require
it at the hands
of David's
enemies
."
Jonathan made David
vow
again
because of his love
for him, because
ahe loved
him as he loved
his own life
.
Then Jonathan said
to him, " aTomorrow
is the new
moon
, and you will be missed
because
your seat
will be empty
.
"When you have stayed for three
days
, you shall go
down
quickly
and come
to the place
where
you hid
yourself on that eventful
day
, and you shall remain
by the stone
Ezel
.
"I will shoot three
arrows
to the side
, as though I shot
at a target
.
"And behold, I will send
the lad
, saying, `Go
, find
the arrows
.' If
I specifically
say
to the lad
, `Behold
, the arrows
are on this
side
of you, get
them,' then come
; for there is safety
for you and 1no
harm
, as the LORD
lives
.
"But if I 1say
to the youth
, ` aBehold
, the arrows
are beyond
you,' go
, for the LORD
has sent
you away
.
" aAs for the 1agreement of which
you and I have spoken
, behold
, bthe LORD
is between
you and me forever
."
So David hid
in the field
; and when the new
moon
came
, the king
sat
down
to eat
food
.
The king sat
on his seat
as usual
, the seat
by the wall
; then Jonathan
rose
up and Abner
sat
down
by Saul's
side
, but aDavid's
place
was empty
.
Nevertheless Saul did not speak
anything
that day
, for he thought
, "It is an accident
, ahe is not clean
, surely
he is not clean
."
It came about the next
day
, the second
day of the new
moon
, that David's
place
was empty
; so Saul
said
to Jonathan
his son
, "Why
has the son
of Jesse
not come
to the meal
, either
yesterday
or
today
?"
Jonathan then answered
Saul
, " aDavid
earnestly
asked
leave
of me to go to Bethlehem
,
for he said, `Please
1let
me go
, since
our family
has a sacrifice
in the city
, and my brother
has commanded
me to attend. And now
, if
I have found
favor
in your sight
, please
let me get
away
that I may see
my brothers
.' For this
reason
he has not come
to the king's
table
."
Then 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 1as long as the son
of Jesse
lives
on the earth
, neither
you nor
your kingdom
will be established
. Therefore now
, send
and bring
him to me, for ahe 2must
surely
die
."
But Jonathan answered
Saul
his father
and said
to him, " aWhy
should he be put
to death
? What
has he done
?"
Then aSaul hurled
his spear
at him to strike
him down
; bso Jonathan
knew
that his father
had decided
to put
David
to death
.
Then Jonathan arose
from the table
in fierce
anger
, and did not eat
food
on the second
day
of the new
moon
, for he was grieved
over
David
because
his father
had dishonored
him.
Now it came about in the morning
that Jonathan
went
out into the field
for the appointment
with David
, and a little
lad
was with him.
He said to his lad
, " aRun
, find
now
the arrows
which
I am about to shoot
." As the lad
was running
, he shot
1an arrow
past
him.
When the lad reached
the place
of the arrow
which
Jonathan
had shot
, Jonathan
called
after
the lad
and said
, " aIs not the arrow
beyond
you?"
And Jonathan called
after
the lad
, "Hurry
, be quick
, do not stay
!" And Jonathan's
lad
picked
up the arrow
and came
to his master
.
But the lad was not aware
of anything
; only
Jonathan
and David
knew
about the matter
.
Then Jonathan gave
his weapons
to his lad
and said
to him, "Go
, bring
them to the city
."
When the lad was gone
, David
rose
from the south
side
and fell
on his face
to the ground
, and abowed
three
times
. And they kissed
each
other
and wept
together
, but bDavid
wept the more
.
Jonathan said
to David
, " aGo
in safety
, inasmuch
as we have sworn
to each
other
in the name
of the LORD
, saying
, ` bThe LORD
will be between
me and you, and between
my 1descendants
and your 1descendants
forever
.' " 2Then he rose
and departed
, while Jonathan
went
into the city
.