11. So Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” And the two of them went out to the field.
12. Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord God of Israel is witness. When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or by the third day, and if he is favorable toward David, then will I not send and reveal it to you?
13. May the Lord do so to Jonathan and much more. If it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will reveal it you and send you away that you may go in peace. And may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.
14. And if I live, not only will you show me the kindness of the Lord, that I shall not die,
15. but you will not cut off your faithfulness from my house forever, even when the Lord has cut off each one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
16. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, “May the Lord require it at the hand of the enemies of David.”
17. Jonathan made David swear again, because he loved him. For he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18. Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19. When you have stayed three days, you will surely go down and come to the place where you hid yourself on the day this happened, and wait there beside the stone Ezel.
20. And I will shoot three arrows to its side, as though I shot at a target.
21. Then I will send a boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the boy, ‘See, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then come, for it will be safe for you. And as the Lord lives, it is nothing of concern.
22. But if I say to the young man, ‘See, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for the Lord has sent you away.
23. As for the matter upon which you and I have spoken, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24. So David hid himself in the field. And when the New Moon appeared, the king sat down over food to eat.
25. Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on a seat by the wall. Then Jonathan arose and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
26. Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day. For he thought, “Something has happened. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.”
27. It happened on the following day, which was the second day of the month, that David’s place remained empty. So Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat food either yesterday or today?”
28. And Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave from me to go to Bethlehem.
29. And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city and my brother has commanded me to come. Now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me leave and see my brothers.’ This is why he has not come to the king’s table.”