1 Samuel 20

And David ran away from Nauath in Rama and comes before Jonathan, and said, What have I done, and what is my wrongdoing, and what have I sinned before your father, that he seeks my life?

And Jonathan said to him, Far be it from you; you shall surely not die. Behold, my father will not do a matter great or small and not uncover my ear. And why should my father hide this matter from me? This is not so.

And David answered Jonathan and said, Your father knows well that I have found favour in your eyes, and he said, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be unwilling. But as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, as I said, the space between me and death has been filled up.

And Jonathan said to David, What does your soul desire, and what shall I do for you?

And David said to Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I will surely not sit with the king to eat; and you shall send me away, and I will hide in the plain until evening.

If your father should carefully miss me, then you shall say, David earnestly asked leave of me to run as far as Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for the whole tribe.

If he says thus, It is well, there is peace for your servant. But if he answers you harshly, know that the evil is determined by him.

And you shall show mercy to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with yourself. And if there is iniquity in your servant, put me to death yourself; and why then do you bring me thus as far as your father?

And Jonathan said, Far be it from you; for if I should surely know that the evil is determined by my father to come upon you, and if not, I will report to you at your cities.

And David said to Jonathan, Who will report to me if your father answers harshly?

And Jonathan said to David, Go and remain in the field. And they both go out into the field.

And Jonathan said to David, The Lord God of Israel knows that I will examine my father about this time three times; and behold, if it is good concerning David, then I will not send to you into the field.

May God do thus to Jonathan and thus may he add, for I will bring up the evil things to you and uncover your ear and send you away, and you shall go in peace. And the Lord shall be with you, as he was with my father.

And while I am still living, you shall show mercy with me; and if I should die by death,

you shall not cut off your mercy from my house for ever; and when the Lord cuts off the enemies of David, each one from the face of the earth,

let the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David; and may the Lord seek out the enemies of David.

And Jonathan proceeded again to swear to David, because he loved the soul of the one who loved him.

And Jonathan said, Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be noticed.

And on the third day you shall be looked for, and you shall come to your place where you hid on the working day, and you shall sit beside that ergab.

And I will shoot three times with the darts, casting them, sending them at the ammattari.

And behold, I will send the lad, saying, Go, find me the dart. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the dart is on this side of you, and here, take it; then come, for it is peace to you, and there is no matter, as the Lord lives.

If I say thus to the young man, Behold, the dart is beyond you; then go, for the Lord has sent you away.

And as for the word which we have spoken, I and you, behold, the Lord is witness between me and you for ever.

And David hides in the field, and the month comes, and the king comes to the table to eat.

And the king sat upon his seat as at other times, upon the seat by the wall; and he went before Jonathan, and Abenner sat at Saul's side, and the place of David was noticed.

And Saul said nothing on that day, for he said, It seems to be a mischance: he is not clean, for he has not been cleansed.

And it came to pass on the morrow of the month, on the second day, that the place of David was noticed, and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has the son of Jessai not come, either yesterday or today, to the table?

And Jonathan answered Saul and said to him, David asked leave of me to go as far as Bethlehem his city.

And he said, Send me away, please, for there is a sacrifice of the tribe for us in the city, and my brothers have given me charge; and now, if I have found favour in your eyes, let me slip away, please, and see my brothers. That is why he has not come to the king's table.

And Saul was enraged with anger against Jonathan exceedingly, and said to him, Son of deserting girls! Do I not know that you are a partner with the son of Jessai, to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

For all the days that the son of Jessai lives upon the earth, your kingdom shall not be established. Now therefore send and take the young man, for he is a son of death.

And Jonathan answered Saul, Why is he to die? What has he done?

And Saul lifted up the spear against Jonathan to put him to death. And Jonathan knew that this evil was determined by his father, to put David to death.

And Jonathan sprang up from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat bread on the second day of the month, for he was grieved over David, because his father had determined against him.

And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field, as he had appointed for the sign with David, and a little lad was with him.

And he said to the lad, Run, find me the darts which I shoot. And the lad ran, and he himself shot the dart and made it pass beyond him.

And the lad came to the place of the dart where Jonathan had shot, and Jonathan cried out after the young man and said, The dart is there, beyond you.

And Jonathan cried out after his lad, saying, Make haste, hurry, and do not stand still. And the lad of Jonathan gathered up the darts and brought them to his master.

And the lad knew nothing at all; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to his lad, Go, enter into the city.

And as the lad entered, David also arose from the ergab and fell upon his face and did obeisance to him three times; and each kissed his neighbour, and each wept over his neighbour until a great consummation.

And Jonathan said, Go in peace; and as we two have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be witness between me and you, and between my seed and your seed for ever.