1 Samuel
20:1 And David fled from Naioth in 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 seeketh my life?
20:2 And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father
will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and
why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I
have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know
this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul
liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
20:4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even
do it for thee.
20:5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the 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 unto the third day at even.
20:6 If thy father at all 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.
20:7 If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be
very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.
20:8 Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought
thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if
there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring
me to thy father?
20:9 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 not I
tell it thee?
20:10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father
answer thee roughly?
20:11 And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field.
And they went out both of them into the field.
20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded
my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if
there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it
thee;
20:13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to
do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou
mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my
father.
20:14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the
LORD, that I die not:
20:15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no,
not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the
face of the earth.
20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the
LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.
20:17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he
loved him as he loved his own soul.
20:18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt
be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
20:19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly,
and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business
was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
20:20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a
mark.
20:21 And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out 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 to thee, and no hurt; as
the LORD liveth.
20:22 But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond
thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.
20:23 And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the
LORD be between thee and me for ever.
20:24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the
king sat him down to eat meat.
20:25 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.
20:26 Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought,
Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
20:27 And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the
month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his
son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday,
nor to day?
20:28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to
Bethlehem:
20:29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in
the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if
I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see
my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.
20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him,
Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast
chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion
of thy mother's nakedness?
20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not
be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto
me, for he shall surely die.
20:32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore
shall he be slain? what hath he done?
20:33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that
it was determined of his father to slay David.
20:34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat
the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his
father had done him shame.
20:35 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.
20:36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot.
And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
20:37 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?
20:38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And
Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
20:39 But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
20:40 And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go,
carry them to the city.
20:41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward 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.
20:42 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 went into the city.
