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 in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity or 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 unto him, No, in no wise; thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will show it me, and why should my father hide this thing from me? It shall not be 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 moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith in himself, Let Jonathan not know this lest he be grieved; but truly as the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.

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

Then Jonathan said unto David, Whatever thy soul saith, I will 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 replied unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at food, but thou shalt let me go and hide myself in the field until the evening of the third day.

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 at all misses me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem, his city, for all those of his lineage have an anniversary sacrifice.

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 should say, It is well; thy slave shall have peace; but if he is very wroth, then be sure that the evil is determined in 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?”

Therefore, thou shalt deal in mercy with thy slave, for thou hast brought thy slave into a covenant of the LORD with thee; notwithstanding, if there is iniquity in me, slay me thyself, for why should 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 certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would I not be obliged to show it to 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 answers 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 unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And both of them went out 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?

Then Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I shall have asked my father tomorrow at this time or after tomorrow and, behold, if there is good toward David and I then do not send unto thee and show it to thee,

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.

the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do thee evil, then I will show it to thee and send thee away that thou may go in peace; and the LORD 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 if I live, thou shalt show me the mercy of the LORD, but if I am dead,

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

thou shalt not cut off thy mercy from my house for ever. When the LORD has cut off one by one the enemies of David from the face of the earth, remove even Jonathan from thy house if I fail thee and require it at the hand of David’s enemies.

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.”

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.

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

And Jonathan swore unto David again because he loved 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.

Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon, and thou shalt be missed because 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.

And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the work and shalt remain 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 thereof 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 a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, then come thou, for there is peace unto thee and no hurt, as the LORD lives.

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 unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, then go away, for the LORD has sent thee away.

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

And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, let the LORD be between thee and me for ever.

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

¶ So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon was come, the king sat down to eat bread.

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 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.

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.”

Nevertheless, Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, Something has befallen him, 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 on the next day, which was the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty, and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Why did not the son of Jesse come to food, neither yesterday nor today?

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 go 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 he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for those of our lineage have a sacrifice in the city, and my brother, he has commanded me to be there, and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he has not come unto 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?

Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion and unto the confusion of thy mother’s shame?

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 the land, thou shalt not be established nor thy kingdom. Therefore, now send and bring him unto me, for he shall surely 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 unto him, Why shall he be slain? 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.

And Saul cast a spear at him to smite him whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

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.

So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David and 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 at the time appointed 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 unto his lad, Run and find the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an 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 was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow 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.

But the lad did not understand anything; only Jonathan and David understood 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 unto his lad and said unto 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.

And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the Negev and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times, and they kissed one another and wept one with another, although 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 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 entered into the city.