1 Samuel 20

1 And David ran from Naioth in Ramah and came before Jonathan, and said, “What have I done? What injury have I done? How have I sinned before your father, that he is hunting for my life?” 2 And Jonathan said to him, “Never — you will not die. Look, my father does not do a thing, great or small, without letting me hear of it. Why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.” [a] 3 And David answered Jonathan and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will not be willing.’ But as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives — as I said, the space between me and death is filled up.” [b] 4 And Jonathan said to David, “What does your soul desire, and what am I to do for you?”

5 And David said to Jonathan, “Look, tomorrow is the new moon, and I will certainly not sit down with the king to eat. You are to let me go, and I will hide in the open country until evening. 6 If your father does miss me, then say, ‘David begged leave of me to run to Bethlehem, his own city, because there is a yearly sacrifice there for the whole tribe.’ [c] 7 If he says, ‘Good’ — then it is peace for your servant. But if he answers you harshly, know that harm has been fully settled on by him. 8 And you are to deal in mercy with your servant, because you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with yourself. And if there is wrong in your servant, kill me yourself; but why bring me all the way to your father?” 9 And Jonathan said, “Never. If I truly come to know that harm has been settled on by my father, to come upon you — and if it is not so — I will send word to you in your cities.” [d] 10 And David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Go, and wait in the field.” And the two of them went out to the field.

12 And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord God of Israel knows that I will sound out my father about this time, three times over. And if it is good concerning David, and I do not send to you in the field — 13 may God do so to Jonathan, and more: I will report the harm to you and let you hear of it and send you off, and you will go away in peace. And the Lord will be with you, as he was with my father. 14 And while I am still alive, you are to deal in mercy with me; and if I do die, 15 you are not to take your mercy away from my house, ever. And if you do not — when the Lord takes away the enemies of David, each of them, from the face of the earth, [e] 16 then let the name of Jonathan be taken away from the house of David, and let the Lord seek out the enemies of David.” 17 And Jonathan swore to David once more, because he loved the soul of the man who loved him.

18 And Jonathan said, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be noticed empty. 19 You are to wait until the third day, and keep watch; then come to your place, where you hid on the working day, and sit down beside that mound. [f] 20 And I will shoot three arrows, throwing them out at the target. [g] 21 And then I will send the boy: ‘Go, find me the arrow.’ If I say to the boy, ‘The arrow is here, on this side of you’ — pick it up, and come, because it is peace for you and there is nothing in it, as the Lord lives. 22 But if I say this to the young man, ‘The arrow is there, on that side of you and beyond’ — then go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23 And the word that you and I have spoken — the Lord is witness between me and you forever.”

24 So David hid in the field. And the month came in, and the king came to the table to eat. 25 And the king sat on his seat as at other times, on the seat by the wall, and he took his place ahead of Jonathan; and Abner sat at Saul’s side, and David’s place was noticed empty. [h] 26 And Saul said nothing at all that day, because he said, “It looks as though something has befallen him: he is not clean, because he has not been made clean.”

27 And the next day of the month, the second day, David’s place was noticed empty, and Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the table, yesterday or today?” 28 And Jonathan answered Saul and said to him, “David begged leave of me to go as far as Bethlehem, his own city, 29 and he said, ‘Please send me off, because we have a sacrifice of the tribe in the city, and my brothers have given me orders. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me slip away and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.” 30 And Saul burned with anger at Jonathan and said to him, “You son of runaway girls! Do I not know that you are a partner with the son of Jesse, to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? [i] 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, your kingdom will not be made secure. So now, send and take the young man, because he is a son of death.” [j] 32 And Jonathan answered Saul, “Why is he to die? What has he done?” 33 And Saul lifted up the spear against Jonathan, to put him to death. And Jonathan knew that this harm had been settled on by his father, to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan sprang up from the table in hot anger and ate no bread on the second day of the month, because he was crushed over David, because his father had settled it against him.

35 And morning came, and Jonathan went out to the field at the time he had appointed for the witness with David, and a little boy was with him. [k] 36 And he said to the boy, “Run, find me the arrows I am shooting.” And the boy ran, and he shot the arrow and sent it on past him. 37 And the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot; and Jonathan called out after the young man and said, “The arrow is over there, on that side of you and beyond.” 38 And Jonathan called out after his boy, saying, “Quick, hurry — do not stand still.” And Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and brought them to his master. 39 And the boy knew nothing at all; only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to his boy, “Go on, into the city.”

41 And as the boy went in, David rose up from beside the mound and fell on his face and bowed down to him three times; and they kissed each other, and each of them wept over the other, for a long while. 42 And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace. And as the two of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will be witness between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.’” [l]