1And 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?
2And 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.
3And 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.
4Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever
thy soul desireth, I will even do it for
thee.
5And 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.
6If 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.
7If 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.
8Therefore 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?
9And 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?
10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell
me? or what if thy
father answer thee roughly?
11And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let
us go out into the field. And they went out both of
them into the field.
12And 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;
13The 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.
14And thou shalt not only while yet I live
shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:
15But 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.
16So Jonathan made a
covenant with the house of David, saying,
Let the LORD even require it at
the hand of David's enemies.
17And Jonathan caused David to swear again,
because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved
his own soul.
18Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the
new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat
will be empty.
19And 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.
20And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof,
as though I shot at a mark.
21And, 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.
22But if I say thus unto the young man,
Behold, the arrows are beyond
thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.
23And as
touching the matter which thou and I have
spoken of, behold, the LORD be between
thee and me for ever.
24So David hid himself in the field: and when
the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat
meat.
25And 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.
26Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that
day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him,
he is not
clean; surely he is not
clean.
27And 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?
28And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly
asked leave of
me to
go to Bethlehem:
29And 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.
30Then 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?
31For 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.
32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and
said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what
hath he done?
33And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite
him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of
his father to slay David.
34So 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.
35And 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.
36And 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.
37And 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?
38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make
speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered
up the arrows, and came to his master.
39But the lad knew not any thing: only
Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his
lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to
the city.
41And 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.
42And 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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