1 Samuel 20:12-28
English Standard Version
Chapter 20
12And 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 he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." 16And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the Lord take vengeance on David 's enemies." 17And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.
20And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
21And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.
22But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away.
23And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the 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.
25The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul 's side, but David 's place was empty.
26Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean."
27But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David 's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"
28Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
