1 Kingdoms 20

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came before Jonathan and said, “What have I done, and what fault is mine? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

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2So Jonathan said to him, 'There is no fault on your part. You shall not die. Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing? It is not so!'

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3Then David answered Jonathan and said, 'Your father certainly knows I have found favor in your sight, and Saul has said, 'Jonathan should not come to know about this. He will not want this to happen.' But as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, so I say to you, there is only a step between me and death.'

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4So Jonathan said to David, 'What does your soul desire? What shall I do for you?'

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5And David said to Jonathan, 'Indeed, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I will not sit with the king to eat. I will hide in the field until evening.

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6If your father asks about me, say, 'David earnestly asked permission of me that he might go to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for his whole tribe.'

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7If thus he says, 'Peace be to your servant'; it is well. But if he answers you harshly, know that he determines to do evil.

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8Therefore you shall provide an act of mercy to your servant, for you brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. And if there is wrongdoing in your servant, kill me yourself. Why should you bring me to your father?'

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9But Jonathan said, 'By no means will I do this to you! For if I know for sure that my father intends evil against you, I will come to you. If otherwise, I will tell you in your cities.'

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10Then David said to Jonathan, 'Who will tell me if your father should answer you harshly?'

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11And Jonathan said to David, 'Go and remain in the field.' And they both went out into the field.

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12Then Jonathan said to David, 'The Lord God of Israel knows that I will question my father three times, and behold, should there be good concerning David and I do not send for you in the field,

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13may the Lord do this to Jonathan and add to this even more, as also I shall discuss the evil against you. I will disclose it to your ear, and I will send you away. You shall depart in peace, for the Lord will be with you as He was with my father.

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14In return, you shall deal mercifully with me while I still live, and if I die,

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15you shall not cut off your mercy from my house forever, even if the Lord does not cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth;

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16or removes the name of Jonathan from the house of David; or the Lord does seek out the enemies of David.'

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17And yet again, Jonathan swore to David, for he so loved him as his own soul.

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18Then Jonathan said to David, 'Tomorrow is the first of the month, and you will be asked about, because your seat will be seen as empty.

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19You will do this for three days, and you will be looked for. So go to the place where you may be hidden in the day of the deed. You shall wait by that mound.

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20And then I will shoot three arrows, as aiming at a target.

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21And behold, I will send a lad, saying, 'Come here! Find my arrows.' If I speak to the lad saying, 'Look, the arrows are here, on this side from you, get them here. Come!'—it is well with you, and as the Lord lives there is no reason to hide.

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22But if I say this to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are there and beyond you,'—you go, for the Lord has sent you away.

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23And as for the word which you and I discussed, indeed the Lord is a witness between you and me forever.'

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24So David hid in the field, and when the first of the month came, the king sat down to the table to eat.

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25As usual, the king sat on his seat by the wall and arrived before Jonathan. Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was seen as empty.

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26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, 'Something happened so that he is not clean; he has not cleansed himself.'

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27And the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was noticed as being empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, 'Why has the son of Jesse not come to the table yesterday or today?'

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28So Jonathan answered Saul and said to him, 'David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem his city.

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29And he said, 'Please let me go, for our tribe has a sacrifice in the city, and my brothers commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away safely and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table.'

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30Then Saul's anger was aroused greatly against Jonathan, and he said to him, 'Son of traitorous girls! Do I not know to your own shame and the shame of your mother's nakedness that you are an accomplice with the son of Jesse?

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31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, your kingdom shall not be established. Now then, send and bring the young man, for he is a son of death.'

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32And Jonathan queried Saul, 'Why should he be killed? What did he do?'

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33Then Saul lifted up a spear against Jonathan to kill him, and Jonathan knew the evil from his father to kill David.

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34So Jonathan leapt up 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 plotted against him.

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35And so in the morning, Jonathan went out to the field at the appointed time, as a testimony for David. A lad was with him.

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36Then he said to his lad, 'Run, find for me the arrows I shoot.' As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

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37And when the lad came to the place where Jonathan shot the arrow, Jonathan cried out to the lad and said, 'There is the arrow beyond you.'

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38And Jonathan cried out after his lad, 'Make haste, hurry, do not delay!' So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows for his master.

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39And the lad knew nothing of what was happening. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

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40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to the lad, 'Go, enter into the city.'

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41As soon as the lad left, David arose from the mound, fell on his face, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another and wept for each other.

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42Then Jonathan said, 'Go in peace, and as we both swore in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord will be a witness between you and me, and between your seed and my seed, forever.' '

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