1 Samuel 20

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah. And he came and said to the face of Jonathan, “What have I done? What {is} my iniquity? And what {is} my sin to the face of your father, that {he is} seeking my life?”

And he said to him, “Profane! You will not die. Behold, my father does not do a great thing or a small thing and not uncover my ear. So why would my father hide this thing from me? {There is} not this!” \*

And David swore besides and said, “Knowing, your father knows that I have found favor in your eyes. So he said, ‘May Jonathan not know this, lest he be grieved.’ But indeed, the life of God, and the life of your soul, surely like a step {is} between me and between death!”

And Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul says, I will do for you.” \*

And David said to Jonathan, “Behold, the new moon {is} tomorrow, and sitting, I should sit with the king to eat. But you shall let me go, and I shall hide myself in the field until the third evening.

If missing, your father misses me, then you shall say, ‘Asking, David asked from me to run {to} Bethlehem, his city, for the sacrifice of days {is} there for all of the clan.’

If thus he says, ‘Good,’ peace {is} to your servant. But if burning, it burns to him, know that harm has completed from with him.

Then you shall do covenant faithfulness with your servant. For you have brought your servant into a covenant of God with you. But if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself. For why this, that should you bring me to your father?” \*

And Jonathan said, “Profane to you! For if knowing, I know that harm has completed from with my father to come upon you, then will I not declare it to you?”

And David said to Jonathan, “Who will declare to me whether what your father answers you {is} harsh?”

And Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out {to} the field.” And the two of them went out to the field. \*

And Jonathan said to David, “{By} God, the God of Israel, that I will examine my father around this time tomorrow, the third day. And behold, {if} good {is} to David, then will I not then send to you and uncover your ear?

Thus may God do to Jonathan, and thus may he add: if harm upon you is good to my father, then I will uncover your ear and send you away so you may go in peace. And may God be with you just as he was with my father. \*

And if I am not still alive, then you shall not do the covenant faithfulness of God with me, so I do not die,

but you shall not cut off your covenant faithfulness from with my house forever, not even when God cuts off the enemies of David, a man from upon the face of the ground.” \*

And Jonathan cut with the house of David, “And may God seek from the hand of the enemies of David!”

And Jonathan added to make David swear by his love for him, for he loved him {like} the loving of his soul. \*

And Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow {is} the new moon. And you will be missed, for your seat will be missed.

And you shall stay three days, {then} you shall come down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself there on the day of the deed. And you shall stay beside the stone Ezel. \*

And I myself will shoot three arrows {to} the side of it, to send forth for me to a target.

And behold, I will send a boy, ‘Go find the arrows.’ If saying, I say to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows {are} from you, and hither, get them,’ then come, for peace {is} for you and there is no matter, the life of God. \*

But if I say thus to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows {are} from you, and beyond,’ go, for God has sent you away.

And the word that I and you have spoken, behold, God {is} between me and between you forever.” \*

And David hid himself in the field, and it was the new moon, and the king sat down at the food to eat.

And the king sat on his seat, as time by time, on the seat {by} the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by the side of Saul. And the place of David was missing. \*

But Saul did not say anything on that day, for he said, “It {is} an accident. He {is} not clean, surely not clean.”

And it happened on the next day of the new moon, the second, that the place of David was missing. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come, both yesterday and today, to the food?” \*

And Jonathan answered Saul, “Asking, David asked from me to Bethlehem.

And he said, ‘Please let me go. For the sacrifice of our clan {is} in the city, and my brother himself has commanded me. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, may I please go away, and may I see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the table of the king.” \*

And the nose of Saul burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “Son of one perverting herself in rebellion! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your shame and to the shame of the nakedness of your mother?

For all of the days that the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established, nor your kingdom. And now, send and take him to me, for he {is} a son of death.” \*

And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?”

And Saul hurled the spear at him to strike him. And Jonathan knew that it had completed from with his father to kill David.

And Jonathan arose from the table with burning of nose. And he did not eat bread on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David, because his father had dishonored him. \*

And it happened in the morning that Jonathan went out {to} the field to the appointment with David, and a small boy {was} with him.

And he said to his boy, “Run, please find the arrows that I am shooting.” The boy ran, and he shot the arrow to pass over him.

And the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called after the boy and said, “{Is} not the arrow from you, and beyond?” \*

And Jonathan called after the boy, “Quickly, hurry! Do not stay!” And the boy of Jonathan picked up the arrows and came to his master.

Now the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

And Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy who {was} to him. And he said to him, “Go, bring {these} {to} the city.” \*

The boy went, and David arose from beside the south, and he fell on his nostrils to the ground, and he prostrated himself three times. And they kissed, a man with his companion. And they wept, a man with his companion, until David made great.

And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we, the two of us, have sworn in the name of God, saying, ‘God is between me and between you, and between my seed and between your seed, forever.’” And he arose and went, and Jonathan entered the city. \*