1 Samuel 20

David and Jonathan’s Covenant

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and he came and 1said 2to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? 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 informing me. So why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” 3Yet David 4vowed again, 5saying, “Your father is well aware that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Jonathan is not to know this, otherwise he will be worried.’ But indeed 6as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is 7just 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 am obligated 10to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go 11so that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly requested leave of me to run to 12Bethlehem, his city, because it is 13the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’ 7If he 14says, ‘That is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, 15be aware that he has decided on evil. 8So deal kindly with your servant, for 16you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But 17if 18I am guilty of wrongdoing, kill me yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” 9Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I in fact learn that my father has decided 19to inflict harm on you, would I not inform you?” 10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will inform me 20if your father answers you harshly?” 11Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field.

12Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, is my witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if he has a good feeling toward 21you, shall I not then send word to you and 22inform you? 13If it pleases my father to do you harm, 23may the Lord do so to 24me and more so, if I fail to 25inform you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. And 26may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. 14And if I am still alive, will you not show me the faithfulness of the Lord, so that I do not die? 15And 27you shall never cut off your loyalty to my house, 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, “28May the Lord demand it from the hands of David’s enemies.” 17And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because 29he loved him as he loved his own life.

18Then Jonathan said to him, “30Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed since 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 beside the stone Ezel. 20And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. 21Then behold, I will send the boy, telling him, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, because it is safe for you and there is nothing to harm you, as the Lord lives. 22But if I 31say to the youth, ‘32Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, because the Lord has sent you away. 2333As for the 34agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, 35the Lord is between you and me forever.”

24So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25Now the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan stood up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side; but 36David’s place was empty. 26Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “It must have been an 37accident; 38he is not clean, undoubtedly he is not clean.” 27But it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28And Jonathan answered Saul, “39David earnestly requested leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me slip away so 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, 40as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now then, send men and bring him to me, for 41he is 42doomed to die!” 32But Jonathan replied to his father Saul and said to him, “43Why must he be put to death? What has he done?” 33Then 44Saul hurled his spear at him to strike and kill him; 45so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. 34Then Jonathan got up from the table in the heat of anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, because he was worried about David since his father had insulted him.

35Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field at the time agreed upon with David, and a little boy was with him. 36He said to his boy, “46Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” The boy ran, and he shot 47an arrow past him. 37When the boy reached the location of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “48Is the arrow not beyond you?” 38Then Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrow and came to his master. 39But the boy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” 41When the boy was gone, David got up from the south side, then he fell on his face to the ground and 49bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, until 50David wept immeasurably. 42Then Jonathan said to David, “51Go 52in safety, since we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘53The Lord will be between me and you, and between my 54descendants and your 55descendants forever.’” 56So David set out and went on his way, while Jonathan went into the city.