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?"
And he said unto him, "God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father
doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me
and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so."
And David sware moreover, and said, "Thy father knoweth well 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."
Then said Jonathan unto David, "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will
even do it for thee."
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. If thy father miss
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.' If he say thus, 'It is well;' thy servant shall have peace:
but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him. Therefore
deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a
covenant of the Lord with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me
thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?"
And Jonathan said, "Far be it from thee: for if I should at all know
that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not
I tell it thee?"
Then said David to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance thy father
answer thee roughly?"
And Jonathan said unto David, "Come and let us go out into the field."
And they went out both of them into the field.
And Jonathan said unto David, "The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness;
when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third
day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto
thee, and disclose it unto thee? The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more
also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not
unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the
Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not
only while yet I live show me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not:
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."
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to
him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said unto
him, "To-morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy
seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days, 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. And I will
shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. And
behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say
unto the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee': take them,
and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as the Lord liveth.
But if I say thus unto the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond thee'; go
thy way; for the Lord hath sent thee away. And as touching the matter
which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord is between thee and me
for ever."