1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what [is] my iniquity? and what [is] my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? 2And he said to him, Far be it from thee; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing, either great or small, but that he will show it to me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it [is] not [so]. 3And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thy eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he should be grieved: But truly [as] the LORD liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, [there is] but a step between me and death. 4Then said Jonathan to David, Whatever thy soul desireth, I will even do [it] for thee. 5And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to morrow [is] the new-moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third [day] at evening. 6If thy father shall at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked [leave] of me, that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for [there is] a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7If he shall say thus, [It is] well; thy servant will have peace: but if he shall be very wroth, [then] be sure that evil is determined by him. 8Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there is in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldst thou bring me to thy father? 9And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil is determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? 10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what [if] thy father shall answer thee roughly? 11And Jonathan said to David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. 12And Jonathan said to David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to-morrow any time, [or] the third [day], and behold, [if there be] good towards David, and I then send not to thee, and show it thee; 13The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it shall please my father [to do] thee evil, then I will show it to thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father. 14And thou shalt, not only while yet I live, show me the kindness of the LORD, that I may not die: 15But [also] thou shalt not withdraw thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. 16So Jonathan made [a covenant] with the house of David, [saying], Let the LORD even require [it] at the hand of David's enemies. 17And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18Then Jonathan said to David, To-morrow [is] the new-moon: and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. 19And [when] thou hast stayed three days, [then] thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was [in hand], and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. 20And I will shoot three arrows on the side [of it], as though I shot at a mark. 21And behold, I will send a lad, [saying], Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows [are] on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for [there is] peace to thee, and no hurt; [as] the LORD liveth. 22But if I say thus to the young man, Behold, the arrows [are] beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away. 23And [as to] the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD [be] between thee and me for ever. 24So David hid himself in the field: and when the new-moon had come, the king sat down to eat food. 25And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, [even] upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. 26Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he [is] not clean; surely he [is] not clean. 27And it came to pass on the morrow, [which was] the second [day] of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why cometh not the son of Jesse to eat, neither yesterday, nor to-day? 28And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked [leave] of me [to go] to Beth-lehem: 29And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother he hath commanded me [to be there]: and now if I have found favor in thy eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not to the king's table. 30Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious [woman], do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thy own confusion, and to the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? 31For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die. 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why shall he be slain? what hath he done? 33And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to slay David. 34So 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 done him shame. 35And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 36And he said to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. [And] as the lad ran, he shot an arrow, beyond him. 37And when the lad had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, [Is] not the arrow beyond thee? 38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan gave his arms to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry [them] to the city. 41[And] as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of [a place] towards the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. 42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.