1 Samuel 20:1-17

The Friendship of David and Jonathan

20¹ And David fleeth from Naioth in Ramah, and cometh, and saith before Jonathan, 'What have I done? what 'is' mine iniquity? and what my sin before thy father, that he is seeking my life?' ² And he saith to him, 'Far be it! thou dost not die; lo, my father doth not do anything great or small and doth not uncover mine ear; and wherefore doth my father hide from me this thing? this 'thing' is not.' ³ And David sweareth again, and saith, 'Thy father hath certainly known that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved; and yet, Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, but—as a step between me and death.' ⁴ And Jonathan saith to David, 'What doth thy soul say?—and I do it for thee.' ⁵ And David saith unto Jonathan, 'Lo, the new moon 'is' to-morrow; and I do certainly sit with the king to eat; and thou hast sent me away, and I have been hidden in a field till the third evening; ⁶ if thy father at all look after me, and thou hast said, David asked earnestly of me to run to Beth-Lehem his city, for a sacrifice of the days 'is' there for all the family. ⁷ If thus he say: Good; peace 'is' for thy servant; and if it be very displeasing to him—know that the evil hath been determined by him; ⁸ and thou hast done kindness, to thy servant, for into a covenant of Jehovah thou hast brought thy servant with thee;—and if there is in me iniquity, put thou me to death; and unto thy father, why is this—thou dost bring me in?'

⁹ And Jonathan saith, 'Far be it from thee! for I certainly do not know that the evil hath been determined by my father to come upon thee, and I do not declare it to thee.' ¹⁰ And David saith unto Jonathan, 'Who doth declare to me? or what 'if' thy father doth answer thee sharply?' ¹¹ And Jonathan saith unto David, 'Come, and we go out into the field;' and they go out both of them into the field. ¹² And Jonathan saith unto David, 'Jehovah, God of Israel—when I search my father, about 'this' time to-morrow 'or' the third 'day', and lo, good 'is' towards David, and I do not then send unto thee, and have uncovered thine ear— ¹³ thus doth Jehovah do to Jonathan, and thus doth He add; when the evil concerning thee is good to my father, then I have uncovered thine ear, and sent thee away, and thou hast gone in peace, and Jehovah is with thee, as he was with my father; ¹⁴ and not only while I am alive dost thou do with me the kindness of Jehovah, and I die not, ¹⁵ but thou dost not cut off thy kindness from my house unto the age, nor in Jehovah's cutting off the enemies of David, each one from off the face of the ground.' ¹⁶ And Jonathan covenanteth with the house of David, and Jehovah hath sought 'it' from the hand of the enemies of David; ¹⁷ and Jonathan addeth to cause David to swear, because he loveth him, for with the love of his own soul he hath loved him.