1 T hen David ran from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my sin? What have I done wrong to your father, that he wants to kill me?”

And David fled from Naioth by Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity, and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeks my life?

2 J onathan said to him, “Far from it, you will not die. See, my father does nothing big or small without telling me about it. So why should my father hide this from me? It is not so!”

And he said to him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, and not apprise me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.

3 B ut David answered, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes. He has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, because it would fill him with sorrow.’ But it is true. As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is only a step between me and death.”

And David swore again and again, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found favour in thy sight: and he has thought, Jonathan shall not know this, lest he be grieved; but truly Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.

4 T hen Jonathan said to David, “I will do for you whatever you say.”

And Jonathan said to David, What thy soul may say, I will even do it for thee.

5 D avid said to Jonathan, “See, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should sit down to eat with the king. But let me go. I will hide myself in the field until the third evening.

And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is 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 until the third evening.

6 I f your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David asked me to let him leave to run to his city Bethlehem. It is the time for the whole family to gather there for the gift given on the altar in worship each year.’

If thy father should actually miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.

7 I f he says, ‘Good!’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, then you will know that he has decided to do what is bad.

If he say thus, It is well,—thy servant shall have peace; but if he be very wroth, be sure that evil is determined by him.

8 S o be kind to your servant. For you have brought me into an agreement of the Lord with you. But if I am guilty, kill me yourself. For why should you bring me to your father?”

Deal kindly then with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee; but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?

9 J onathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that my father has decided to do something bad to you, would I not tell you about it?”

And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for, if I knew with certainty that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, would I not tell it thee?

10 T hen David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father is angry when he answers you?”

Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?

11 J onathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field.

And Jonathan said to David, Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

12 J onathan said to David, “May the Lord, the God of Israel, see it. I will speak with my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day. If he feels good about David, will I not send news to you and let you know it?

And Jonathan said to David, Jehovah, God of Israel, when I sound my father about this time to-morrow, the next day, and behold, there be good toward David, and I then send not to thee, and apprise thee of it,

13 B ut if my father wants to hurt you, may the Lord do the same to Jonathan and even more, if I do not let you know and send you away, so you may be safe. May the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.

Jehovah do so and much more to Jonathan. Should it please my father thee evil, then I will apprise thee of it, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and Jehovah be with thee, as he has been with my father.

14 I f I am still alive, show me the faithful love of the Lord, that I may not die.

And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of Jehovah, that I die not,

15 D o not stop being faithful to my house forever, not even when the Lord destroys from the earth all who hate David.

but thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever, no, not when Jehovah cuts off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth.

16 D o not let the name of Jonathan be lost from the family of David. And may the Lord punish those who hate you.”

And Jonathan made with the house of David, Let Jehovah even require at the hand of David's enemies!

17 J onathan made David promise again, by his love for him. For he loved him as he loved his own life.

And Jonathan caused David to swear again, by the love he had for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18 T hen Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the new moon. You will be missed because your seat will be empty.

And Jonathan said to him, To-morrow is the new moon; and thou wilt be missed, for thy seat will be empty;

19 O n the third day hurry and come to the place where you hid yourself the other time. Stay by the stone called Ezel.

but on the third day thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the business, and abide by the stone Ezel.

20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I shot at a mark.

And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.

21 T hen I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy these words, ‘See, the arrows are on this side of you, get them!’ then you may come. For it is safe for you and there is no danger, as the Lord lives.

And behold, I will send the lad, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come, for there is peace for thee, and it is nothing; Jehovah liveth.

22 B ut if I say to the boy, ‘See, the arrows are farther away,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away.

But if I say thus to the youth: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee,—go thy way; for Jehovah sends thee away.

23 A s for the agreement you and I have spoken, see, the Lord is between you and me forever.”

And as to the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between me and thee for ever.

24 S o David hid in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

And David hid himself in the field; and it was the new moon, and the king sat at table to eat.

25 T he king sat on his seat by the wall as he did other times. Jonathan sat on the other side from him, and Abner sat beside Saul. But David’s place was empty.

And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.

26 B ut Saul did not say anything that day. For he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean. For sure he is not clean.”

And Saul said nothing that day; for he thought, Something has befallen, that he is not clean: surely he is not clean.

27 B ut David’s place was empty the next day, the second day of the new moon. So Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the supper yesterday and today?”

And it came to pass the next day after the new moon, the second, as David's place was empty, that Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to table, neither yesterday nor to-day?

28 J onathan answered Saul, “David asked me to let him go to Bethlehem.

And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to Bethlehem,

29 H e said, ‘I beg you, let me go. Our family is giving a gift on the altar in the city. And my brother has told me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me leave and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

and said, Let me go, I pray thee; for we have a family sacrifice in the city; and my brother himself has commanded me; and now, if I have found favour in thy sight, let me go away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. He has therefore not come to the king's table.

30 T hen Saul was very angry with Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a sinful woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother who gave birth to you?

And Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame and to the shame of thy mother's nakedness?

31 A s long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you and the power you would have as king will not last. So send for him and bring him to me. For he must die.”

For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. And now send and fetch him to me, for he must die.

32 J onathan answered his father Saul, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?”

And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why should he be put to death? what has he done?

33 B ut Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he knew that his father had decided to kill David.

Then Saul cast the spear at him to smite him; and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death.

34 J onathan rose from the table very angry. He did not eat any food on the second day of the new moon. For he was filled with sorrow for David, because his father had brought shame upon him.

And Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no meat the second day of the new moon; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

35 I n the morning Jonathan went out to the field at the time he and David agreed to meet. A little boy was with him.

And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field, to the place agreed on with David, and a little lad with him.

36 J onathan said to his boy, “Run, find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy was running, he shot an arrow past him.

And he said to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. The lad ran, and he shot the arrow beyond him.

37 T he boy came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow. Jonathan called to the boy and said, “Is not the arrow farther away?”

And when the lad came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad and said, Is not the arrow away beyond thee?

38 J onathan called to the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” Then Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrow and came to his owner.

And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not! And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39 T he boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew what had happened.

And the lad knew nothing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40 T hen Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to his boy and told him, “Go, take them to the city.”

And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city.

41 W hen the boy was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground. He bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and cried together, but David more.

The lad went, and David arose from the side of 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.

42 J onathan said to David, “Go in peace. For we have promised each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you, and between my children and your children forever.’” Then David got up and left, and Jonathan went into the city.

And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have both of us sworn in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah 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.