1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my guilt, and what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life?"

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?

2 Jonathan said to him, "Far be it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing great or small without revealing it to me. Why then would my father hide this matter from me? It's not so!"

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.

3 But David swore again and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, 'Let Jonathan not know this, lest he be grieved.' But as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."

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.

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

Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

5 David said to Jonathan, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am supposed to sit at the king’s table to eat. Let me go so that I may hide in the field until the evening of the third day."

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.

6 If your father notices my absence, then say, 'David earnestly asked my permission to run to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice there for his whole family.'

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.

7 If he says, 'Good,' it will mean peace for your servant. But if he is very angry, know that he has determined harm.

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.

8 Therefore, deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if I am guilty, kill me yourself; why bring me to your father?

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?

9 Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! If I knew for certain that my father intended to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"

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?

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

Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?

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

And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

12 Jonathan said to David, "The LORD, the God of Israel, be my witness: I will sound out my father about this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, won't I send word to you and let you know?"

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;

13 May the LORD punish Jonathan severely if I do not inform you and send you away in peace when my father intends to harm you. May the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

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.

14 But show me the loyalty of the LORD as long as I live, so that I may not die.

And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:

15 And do not ever withdraw your kindness from my family, even when the LORD cuts off all of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.

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.

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD demand an accounting of David's enemies."

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.

17 And Jonathan had David swear again by his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty.

Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.

19 The day after tomorrow, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and stay by the stone Ezel.

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 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were aiming at a target.

And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.

21 Then I will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you, bring them here,' then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, there is peace for you and no harm.

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.

22 But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go, because the LORD has sent you away.

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.

23 As for the promise we have made between the two of us, the LORD is our witness forever.

And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.

24 So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat.

So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.

25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him, and Abner beside Saul. But David's place was empty.

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.

26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, 'Something must have happened to him. He’s not ceremonially clean; surely he’s unclean.'

Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

27 But on the second day of the month, David's place was still empty. So Saul asked Jonathan, 'Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal either yesterday or today?'

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?

28 Jonathan answered Saul, 'David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.'

And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:

29 He said, ‘Please let me go, for our family is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.

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.

30 Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan, and he said to him, 'You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?'

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?

31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!'

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.

32 Jonathan responded to his father Saul and asked, 'Why should he be put to death? What has he done?'

And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

33 But Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.

And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger. He did not eat any food on the second day of the month, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

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.

35 In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field to meet David at the appointed time, and he took a young boy with him.

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.

36 He said to his boy, 'Run and find the arrows I shoot.' As the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

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.

37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, 'Isn’t the arrow beyond you?'

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?

38 Then he shouted, 'Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!' The boy picked up the arrows and returned to his master.

And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39 The boy knew nothing about this; only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40 Jonathan handed his weapons to the boy who was with him and said, 'Go, take these back to the city.'

And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.

41 When the boy had gone, David got up from the south side and fell facedown on the ground. He bowed three times, and then they kissed each other and wept together—David weeping the most.

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.

42 Jonathan said to David, 'Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying,

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.