King James Version

1 And David fled from Naoth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my sin and what is my guilt before your father that he seeks my life?" 2 And he said to him, "Far be it from you that you should die. Behold, your father has not done a great thing or a small thing, and he does not reveal it to me. And why would your father hide this matter from me? Is it not so?" 3 And David swore again and said, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he said, 'Do not let this be known to Jonathan, lest he be grieved,' but truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death." 4 And Jonathan said to David, "What will your soul say, and I will do for you?" 5 And David said to Jonathan, "Look, tomorrow is the new moon, and I will sit with the king to eat. But send me away, and I will hide in the field until the evening of the third day." 6 If your father has charged you, tell him that David has requested to run to Bethlehem, his city, because there is a sacrifice there for all the family. 7 If this is so, he will say good peace to your servant; and if he is angry, know that all the wickedness is with him. 8 And you have shown kindness to your servant because by the covenant of the LORD you have brought your servant with you; and if I have sinned, you will kill me; and to your father, why do you bring me this? 9 And Jonathan said, "Far be it from you, for if I know that evil has been determined by my father to come upon you, I will not tell you." 10 And David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me, or what will your father answer me?" 11 And Jonathan said to David, "Let us go out to the field." And they both went out to the field. 12 And Jonathan said to David, "The Lord God of Israel, when I have searched out my father tomorrow about this time, and behold, if it is good for David, I will not send to you and reveal it to you." 13 Thus shall the LORD do to Jonathan, and thus shall He add, for He will do good to my father concerning you, and I will make known to you, and I will send you away, and you shall go in peace, and may the LORD be with you as He was with my father. 14 And if I am still alive, and if you do not show me kindness of the Lord, I will not die. 15 And do not cut off your kindness from my house forever, and do not cut off the Lord from David's enemies, each one from upon the face of the earth. 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, and the LORD sought from the hand of David's enemies. 17 And Jonathan swore to David by his love for him, for he loved him as his own soul. 18 And Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty." 19 And you shall descend very low, and you shall come to the place where you hid there on the day of the deed, and you shall sit by the stone that is there. 20 And I, three arrows, I will shoot to the side to send for me to a target. 21 And behold, I will send the boy to go find the arrows; if I say to the boy, "Here are the arrows," then take them, for peace is for you, and there is no matter. As the Lord lives. 22 And if so, I will say to the youth, "Behold, the arrows are from you and go away, for the Lord has sent you." 23 And the word that we have spoken, I and you, behold, the LORD is between me and you forever. 24 And David hid in the field, and it was the month, and the king sat down to eat bread. 25 And the king sat in his seat, as at other times, by the wall's seat, and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat beside Saul, and the place of David was observed. 26 And Saul did not speak anything on that day because he said it is an incident; it is impure because it is not pure. 27 And it was on the morrow of the second month that David's place was noted, and Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why has the son of Jesse not come, either yesterday or today, to the feast?" 28 And Jonathan answered Saul, "David is asking of you from (with) me until Bethlehem." 29 And he said, "Please let me go, for there is a sacrifice for my family in the city, and he has commanded me to be there. Now if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me escape, and I will see my brother; therefore I have not come to the king's table." 30 And Saul was very angry at Jonathan and said to him, "You son of a rebellious woman, do you not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?" 31 For all the days that the son of Jesse is alive on the ground, you will not be established, you and your kingdom. Now send and bring him to me, for he is a son of death. 32 And Jonathan answered his father Saul and said to him, "Why should he die? What has he done?" 33 And Saul cast the spear at him to strike him, and Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David. 34 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and did not eat bread on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David because his father had ashamed him. 35 And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field to meet David, and a young boy was with him. 36 And he said to his young man, "Run, please find the arrows that I am shooting." The young man ran, and he shot the arrow to pass by him. 37 And the young man came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, and Jonathan called after the young man and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" 38 And Jonathan called after the young man quickly, "Hurry, do not stand still!" And Jonathan’s young man gathered the arrows and came to his master. 39 And the boy did not know anything, but Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said to him, "Go, bring to the city." 41 The young man came, and David rose from beside the Negev and fell on his face to the ground and worshiped three times, and each man kissed his friend, and they wept, each man for his friend until David was greatly distressed. 42 And Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'"