Then David fled from the Talmud School in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks to kill me?”

And he said to him, “Far be it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without telling it to me; and why should my father hide this from me? This is not lasting.”

But David swore, “Your father knows well that I have found favour in your sight. And he says, ‘Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be sorrowed.’ And now, as the LORD is the existing One, and by your own soul, there is the like of one step between me and death.”

And Jonathan said to David, “Whatever the delight of your soul is, I will do for you.”

David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should surely turn back to eat with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the time of the evening of the third day.

If your father really seeks me, then you shall say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem his city, for there is the meal of the sacrifice of holy things today for all the family.’

If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be peace for your servant; but if he is very angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?”

And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I know that it was determined by my father that evil should come upon you, would I not tell you?”

Then said David to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, whether perhaps your father answers you with harsh words?”

And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out to the field.

And Jonathan said to David, “The LORD, the God of Israel – for I will inquire my father, about this time tomorrow or the third day, and [if] it will be right words that are spoken about David, will I not send to you and tell you?

But should it be decided by my father to bring evil upon you, the LORD do so to Jonathan, and add more also, if I do not tell it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace. May the speech of the LORD be in your aid, as it has been in my father’s aid.

And will you not, as long as I am alive – and will you not do goodness with me from before the LORD that I will not die?

And do not cut off your goodness from my house forever, when the LORD will end the haters of David, each man from the surface of the earth,

for Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. And may the LORD take vengeance for him on David’s haters.”

And Jonathan made David swear again by his love 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 sought, for your place at the banquet will be empty.

And on the third [day] of the moon you will be greatly sought. Then go to the place where you hid yourself on the profane day and remain beside the Stone of the Sign.

And I will shoot three arrows with the bow as though I want to hit a target.

And behold, I will send the young man, saying, ‘Go, bring the arrows back.’ If I clearly say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrow is on this side of you, take it,’ then you can come, for it is safe for you and there is no evil, as the LORD is the existing One.

But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrow is beyond you,’ then go, for the LORD delivers you.

And as for the matter of which I and you have spoken, behold, the speech of the LORD is witness between you and me for ever.”

So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down at the banquet to eat.

The king sat upon his couch, as at other times, on the couch that was prepared for him by the wall; and Jonathan stood, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Could it be that an accident has befallen him so that he is not clean? Or could he be on the road, so that we could not invite him?”

But on the next day, which was the intercalated day of the second month, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

He said, ‘Let me go, for there is a meal with the sacrifice of holy things for all our family in town and my brother commanded me [to come]. So now, if I have found favour in your sight, let me escape and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

Then Saul’s anger was strong against Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and strongly rebellious woman! Do I not know that you love 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 upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. And now, send and bring him to me, for he is a man deserving to be killed.”

Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?”

But Saul raised his spear against him to hit him, so Jonathan knew that it was decided by his father to kill David.

And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the intercalation of the new moon, for he was grieved for David, for his father had disgraced him.

In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment, which David had said him, and with him a little boy.

And he said to his young man, “Run and bring now the arrows which I am shooting.” As the young man ran, he shot the arrow beyond him.

And when the young man came at the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the young man and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”

And Jonathan called after the young man, “Hurry in haste, do not delay.” So Jonathan’s young man gathered up the arrows and came to his lord.

But the young man knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

And Jonathan gave his weapons to his young man, and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.”

And as soon as the young man had gone, David rose from beside the Stone of the Sign, which is facing South, and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept together, until David recovered himself.

Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The speech of the LORD shall be witness between me and you, and between my sons and your sons, for ever.’”