1 Samuel 20

David and Jonathan Covenant

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and 1said 2to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?” 2He said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small 3without disclosing it to me. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” 3Yet David 4vowed again, 5saying, “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 be grieved.’ But truly 6as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is 7hardly a step between me and death.” 4Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever 8you say, I will do for you.” 5So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is 9the new moon, and I ought 10to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, 11that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to 12Bethlehem his city, because it is 13the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’ 7If he 14says, ‘It is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, 15know that he has decided on evil. 8Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for 16you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But 17if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” 9Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?” 10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me 18if your father answers you harshly?” 11Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out to the field.

12Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and 19make it known to you? 13If it please my father to do you harm, 20may the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not 21make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And 22may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. 14If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord, that I may not die? 1523You 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.” 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “24May the Lord require it at the hands of David’s enemies.” 17Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because 25he loved him as he loved his own life.

18Then Jonathan said to him, “26Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. 19When 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. 20I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. 21And behold, I will send the lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the lad, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come; for there is safety for you and 27no harm, as the Lord lives. 22But if I 28say to the youth, ‘29Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for the Lord has sent you away. 2330As for the 31agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, 32the Lord is between you and me forever.”

24So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25The 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 33David’s place was empty. 26Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he thought, “It is an accident, 34he is not clean, surely he is not clean.” 27It came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28Jonathan then answered Saul, “35David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem, 29for he said, ‘Please 36let 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.”

Saul Is Angry with Jonathan

30Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31For 37as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for 38he 39must surely die.” 32But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “40Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33Then 41Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; 42so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. 34Then Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David because his father had dishonored him.

35Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little lad was with him. 36He said to his lad, “43Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” As the lad was running, he shot 44an arrow past him. 37When the lad reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, “45Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38And Jonathan called after the lad, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s lad picked up the arrow and came to his master. 39But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” 41When the lad was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, and 46bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but 47David wept the more. 42Jonathan said to David, “48Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘49The Lord will be between me and you, and between my 50descendants and your 51descendants forever.’” 52Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.