1And Dawiḏ fled from Nawith in Ramah, and went and said to Yehonathan, “What have I done? What is my crookedness, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

2And Yehonathan said to him, “Far be it! You are not going to die! See, my father does no big matter nor small matter without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this matter from me? It is not so!”

3But Dawiḏ swore again, and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favour in your eyes, and he says, ‘Do not let Yehonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as יהוה lives and as your being lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

4And Yehonathan said to Dawiḏ, “Whatever your desire is, I do it for you.”

5And Dawiḏ said to Yehonathan, “See, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I ought to sit with the sovereign to eat. But let me go, and I shall hide in the field until the third day at evening.

6“If your father misses me at all, then you shall say, ‘Dawiḏ earnestly asked my permission to run over to Bĕyth Leḥem, his city, for a yearly slaughtering is made there for all the clan.’

7“If he says thus, ‘It is well,’ your servant is safe. But if he is very displeased, then know that he has resolved to do evil.

8“And you shall show kindness to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of יהוה with you. And if there is crookedness in me, put me to death yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

9And Yehonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew with certainty that my father has resolved that evil is to come upon you, then would I not make it known to you?”

10And Dawiḏ said to Yehonathan, “Who would make it known to me, or what if your father answers you sharply?”

11And Yehonathan said to Dawiḏ, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” And they both went out into the field.

12And Yehonathan said to Dawiḏ, “יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl be witness! When I search out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and see if there is good toward Dawiḏ, and I do not send to you or disclose it to you,

13so let יהוה do so and much more to Yehonathan. And if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I shall disclose it to you and send you away, and you shall go in peace. And יהוה be with you as He has been with my father.

14“But show me the kindness of יהוה, not only while I still live, so that I do not die,

15and do not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when יהוה has cut off every one of the enemies of Dawiḏ from the face of the earth.”

16And Yehonathan made a covenant with the house of Dawiḏ, saying, “יהוה shall require it at the hand of the enemies of Dawiḏ.”

17And Yehonathan again made Dawiḏ swear, because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own being.

18So Yehonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you shall be missed, because your seat shall be empty.

19“And on the third day, go down quickly and you shall come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed, and shall remain by the stone Ětsel.

20“And let me shoot three arrows to the side of it as though shooting at a target,

21and see, I shall send the youth, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them and come,’ then, as יהוה lives, there is safety for you and no concern.

22“But if I say thus to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ go your way, for יהוה has sent you away.

23“And as for the word which you and I have spoken of, see, יהוה is between you and me forever.”

24And Dawiḏ hid in the field. And when the New Moon came, the sovereign sat down by the food to eat.

25And the sovereign sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall, with Yehonathan standing, and Aḇnĕr sitting by Sha’ul’s side, but the place of Dawiḏ was empty.

26But Sha’ul spoke not a word that day, for he thought, “It is an accident; he is not clean, for he has not been cleansed.”

27And it came to be the next day, the second day of the month, that Dawiḏ’s place was empty. And Sha’ul said to Yehonathan his son, “Why has the son of Yishai not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”

28And Yehonathan answered Sha’ul, “Dawiḏ earnestly asked my permission to go to Bĕyth Leḥem.

29“And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our clan has a slaughtering in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favour in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the sovereign’s table.”

30Then the displeasure of Sha’ul burned against Yehonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Yishai to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?

31“For as long as the son of Yishai lives on the earth, you shall not be established, you and your reign. And now, send and bring him to me, for he is a son of death.”

32And Yehonathan answered Sha’ul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

33At that, Sha’ul hurled a spear at him to smite him. Then Yehonathan knew that his father had resolved to put Dawiḏ to death.

34And Yehonathan rose up from the table in the heat of displeasure, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for Dawiḏ, because his father put him to shame.

35And it came to be, in the morning, that Yehonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with Dawiḏ, and a small youth was with him.

36And he said to the youth, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the youth ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37And when the youth came to the place where the arrow was which Yehonathan had shot, Yehonathan called out after the youth and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”

38And Yehonathan shouted after the youth, “Make haste, hurry, do not stand still!” And Yehonathan’s youth picked up the arrows and came to his master.

39But the youth knew not a speck. Only Yehonathan and Dawiḏ knew of the matter.

40Then Yehonathan gave his weapons to the youth and said to him, “Go, take them to the city.”

41And as soon as the youth had gone, Dawiḏ rose up from the south side, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another. And they wept together, but Dawiḏ more so.

42And Yehonathan said to Dawiḏ, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the Name of יהוה, saying, ‘יהוה is between you and me, and between your seed and my seed, forever.’ ” Then he arose and left, and Yehonathan went into the city.