20:1  Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What does your father consider my iniquity? And what sin have I committed before your father, that he seeks my life?"

20:2  He said to him, "Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It should not happen!"

20:3  Yet David vowed again, saying, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will suffer grief.' But truly as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there exists hardly a step between me and death."

20:4  Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you."

20:5  So David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow we observe the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.

20:6  "If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, because we keep the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.'

20:7  "If he says, 'It looks good,' your servant will remain safe; but if he has become very angry, know that he has decided on evil.

20:8  "Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if you find iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?"

20:9  Jonathan said, "May it stay far from you! For if I should indeed learn that my father has decided evil to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?"

20:10  Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

20:11  Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." So both of them went out to the field.

20:12  Then Jonathan said to David, "The LORD, the God of Israel, witnesses for me! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he has good feelings toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known to you?

20:13  "If it pleases my father to do you harm, may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the LORD be with you as He has formerly accompanied my father.

20:14  "If I still live, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not die?

20:15  "You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth."

20:16  So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD require it at the hands of David's enemies."

20:17  Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.

20:18  Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow will come the new moon, and they will miss you because your seat will remain empty.

20:19  "When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel.

20:20  "I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target.

20:21  "And behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I specifically say to the lad, 'Behold, the arrows you will find on this side of you, get them,' then come; for there you will find safety for you and no harm, as the LORD lives.

20:22  "But if I say to the youth, 'Behold, the arrows have fallen beyond you,' go, for the LORD has sent you away.

20:23  "As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD will remain between you and me forever."

20:24  So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

20:25  The king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan rose up and Abner sat down by Saul's side, but David's place remained empty.

20:26  Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he thought, "It could come from accidental causes, he perhaps found himself not clean, surely he has found himself not clean."

20:27  It came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David's place remained empty; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

20:28  Jonathan then answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem,

20:29  for he said, 'Please let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. And now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."

20:30  Then Saul's anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you choose the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

20:31  "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will become established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die."

20:32  But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, "Why should he receive the death penalty? What has he done?"

20:33  Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.

20:34  Then Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, for he felt grieved over David because his father had dishonored him.

20:35  Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little lad accompanied him.

20:36  He said to his lad, "Run, find now the arrows which I will soon shoot." As the lad was running, he shot an arrow past him.

20:37  When the lad reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, "Has not the arrow flown beyond you?"

20:38  And Jonathan called after the lad, "Hurry, remain quick, do not stay!" And Jonathan's lad picked up the arrow and came to his master.

20:39  But the lad did not have awareness of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

20:40  Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, "Go, bring them to the city."

20:41  When the lad left, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David wept the more.

20:42  Jonathan said to David, "Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD will remain between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'" Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.