Chapter 20
1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah , and came and said to Jonathan , " What have I done ? What is my iniquity ? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life ?"
2 He said to him , " Far from it ; you will not die . Behold , my father does nothing either great or small , but that he discloses it to me . Why would my father hide this thing from me ? It is not so ."
3 David swore moreover , and said, " Your father knows well that I have found favour in your eyes ; and he says, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know this , 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 Then Jonathan said to David , " Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you ."
5 David said to Jonathan , " Behold , tomorrow is the new moon , and I should not fail to dine with the king ; but let me go , that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening .
6 If your father misses me at all , then say, ‘ David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem , his city ; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family .’
7 If he says , ‘ It is well ,’ your servant shall have peace ; but if he is angry , then know that evil is determined by him .
8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant , for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you ; but if there is iniquity in me , kill me yourself , for why should you bring me to your father?"
9 Jonathan said, " Far be it from you ; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you , then wouldn’t I tell you that ?"
10 Then David said to Jonathan , " Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly ?"
11 Jonathan said to David , " Come ! Let ’s go out into the field ." They both went out into the field .
12 Jonathan said to David , " By the LORD , the God of Israel , when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow , or the third day , behold , if there is good towards David , won’t I then send to you and disclose it to you ?
13 The LORD do so to Jonathan and more also , should it please my father to do you evil , if I don’t disclose it to you and send you away , that you may go in peace . May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father.
14 You shall not only show me the loving kindness of the LORD while I still live , that I not die ;
15 but you shall also not cut off your kindness from my house forever , no , not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the surface of the earth."
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with David ’s house , saying, " The LORD will require it at the hand of David ’s enemies ."
17 Jonathan caused David to swear again , for the love that he had for him ; for he loved him as he loved his own soul .
18 Then Jonathan said to him , " Tomorrow is the new moon , and you will be missed , because your seat will be empty .
19 When you have stayed three days , go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and remain by the stone Ezel.
20 I will shoot three arrows on its side , as though I shot at a mark .
21 Behold , I will send the boy , saying , ‘ Go , find the arrows !’ If I tell the boy , ‘ Behold , the arrows are on this side of you . Take them ;’ then come , for there is peace to you and no danger, as the LORD lives .
22 But if I say this to the boy , ‘ Behold , the arrows are beyond you ,’ then go your way , for the LORD has sent you away .
23 Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of , behold , the LORD is between you and me forever ."
24 So David hid himself in the field . When the new moon had come , the king sat himself down to eat food .
25 The king sat on his seat , as at other times , even on the seat by the wall ; and Jonathan stood up , and Abner sat by Saul ’s side , but David ’s place was empty .
26 Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything that day , for he thought , " Something has happened to him . He is not clean . Surely he is not clean ."
27 On the next day after the new moon , the second day , David ’s place was empty . Saul said to Jonathan his son , " Why didn’t the son of Jesse come to eat , either yesterday , or today ?"
28 Jonathan answered Saul , " David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem .
29 He said , ‘ Please let me go , for our family has a sacrifice in the city . My brother has commanded me to be there . Now , if I have found favour in your eyes , please let me go away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king ’s table ."
30 Then Saul ’s anger burnt against Jonathan , and he said to him , " You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don’t I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame , and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness ?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established , nor will your kingdom . Therefore now send and bring him to me , for he shall surely die !"
32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him , " Why should he be put to death ? What has he done ?"
33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him . By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death .
34 So 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 treated him shamefully.
35 In the morning , Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David , and a little boy with him .
36 He said to his boy , " Run , find now the arrows which I shoot ." As the boy ran , he shot an arrow beyond him .
37 When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot , Jonathan cried after the boy , and said , "Isn’t the arrow beyond you ?"
38 Jonathan cried after the boy , " Go fast ! Hurry ! Don’t delay !" Jonathan ’s boy gathered up the arrows , and came to his master.
39 But the boy didn’t know anything . Only Jonathan and David knew the matter .
40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy , and said to him , " Go , carry them to the city ."
41 As soon as the boy was gone , David arose out of the south , and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times . They kissed one another and wept with one another , and David wept the most.
42 Jonathan said to David , " Go in peace , because we have both sworn in the LORD ’s name , saying, ‘ The LORD is between me and you , and between my offspring and your offspring , forever .’" He arose and departed ; and Jonathan went into the city.