1. David fled from the camps at Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father that he wants me dead?"
2. Jonathan said to him, "No! You are not going to die! Listen: My father doesn’t do anything big or small without telling me first. Why would my father hide this from me? It isn’t true!"
3. But David solemnly promised in response, "Your father knows full well that you like me. He probably said, ‘Jonathan must not learn about this or he’ll be upset.’ But I promise you—on the Lord’s life and yours!—that I am this close to death!"
4. "What do you want me to do?" Jonathan said to David. "I’ll do it."
5. "Okay, listen," David answered Jonathan. "Tomorrow is the new moon, and I’m supposed to sit with the king at the feast. Instead, let me go and I’ll hide in the field until nighttime.
6. If your father takes note of my absence, tell him, ‘David begged my permission to run down to his hometown Bethlehem, because there is an annual sacrifice there for his whole family.’
7. If Saul says ‘Fine,’ then I, your servant, am safe. But if he loses his temper, then you’ll know for certain that he intends to harm me.
8. So be loyal to your servant, because you’ve brought your servant into a sacred covenant with you. If I’m guilty, then kill me yourself; just don’t take me back to your father."
9. "Enough!" Jonathan replied. "If I can determine for certain that my father intends to harm you, of course I’ll tell you!"
10. "Who will tell me if your father responds harshly?" David asked Jonathan.
11. "Come on," Jonathan said to David. "Let’s go into the field." So both of them went out into the field.
12. Then Jonathan told David, "I pledge by the Lord God of Israel that I will question my father by this time tomorrow or on the third day. If he seems favorable toward David, I will definitely send word and make sure you know.
13. But if my father intends to harm you, then may the Lord deal harshly with me, Jonathan, and worse still if I don’t tell you right away so that you can escape safely. May the Lord be with you as he once was with my father.
14. If I remain alive, be loyal to me. But if I die,
15. don’t ever stop being loyal to my household. Once the Lord has eliminated all of David’s enemies from the earth,