20:1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said
before Jonathan, What have I done? what [is] my iniquity? and
what [is] my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
20:2 And he said to him, Far be it from thee; thou shalt not
die: behold, my father will do nothing, either great or small,
but that he will show it to me: and why should my father hide
this thing from me? it [is] not [so].
20:3 And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly
knoweth that I have found grace in thy eyes; and he saith, Let
not Jonathan know this, lest he should 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 to David, Whatever thy soul desireth, I
will even do [it] for thee.
20:5 And David said to 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 to the third
[day] at evening.
20:6 If thy father shall at all miss me, then say, David
earnestly asked [leave] of me, that he might run to Beth-lehem
his city: for [there is] a yearly sacrifice there for all the
family.
20:7 If he shall say thus, [It is] well; thy servant will have
peace: but if he shall 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 is in me iniquity, slay me thyself;
for why shouldst thou bring me to thy father?
20:9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew
certainly that evil is 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 shall answer thee roughly?
20:11 And Jonathan said to 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 to 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 towards David, and I then
send not to thee, and show it thee;
20:13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it shall
please my father [to do] thee evil, then I will show it to
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, show me the
kindness of the LORD, that I may not die:
20:15 But [also] thou shalt not withdraw 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 wilt 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 [of it], as
though I shot at a mark.
20:21 And behold, I will send a lad, [saying], Go, find the
arrows. If I expressly say to 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 to the young man, Behold, the arrows
[are] beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee
away.
20:23 And [as to] 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
had come, the king sat down to eat food.
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 spoke 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
to Jonathan his son, Why cometh not the son of Jesse to eat,
neither yesterday, nor to-day?
20:28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked [leave]
of me [to go] to Beth-lehem:
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 favor in thy eyes, let me
get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh
not to the king's table.
20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he
said to him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious [woman], do
not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thy own
confusion, and to the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the earth,
thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now
send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.
20:32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him,
Why shall he be slain? what hath he done?
20:33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: by which
Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to slay
David.
20:34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate
no food 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 to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I
shoot. [And] as the lad ran, he shot an arrow, beyond him.
20:37 And when the lad had 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 arms to his lad, and said to him,
Go, carry [them] to the city.
20:41 [And] as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of [a
place] towards 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.
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