2. Jonathan answered, “That’s unthinkable! You’re not going to die! My father does nothing without telling me, whether it’s important or not. Why should my father hide this from me? It’s just not that way.”
3. But David took an oath, saying, “Your father certainly knows that you support me, so he said ⌊to himself⌋, ‘Jonathan must not know about this. It will bring him distress.’ But I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, I’m only one step away from death.”
4. Jonathan said to David, “I’ll do whatever you say.”
5. David replied, “Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, when I should sit and eat at the king’s ⌊table⌋. But let me go and hide in the countryside for two more nights.
6. If your father really misses me, tell him, ‘David repeatedly begged me to let him run to Bethlehem, his hometown, because his relatives are offering the annual sacrifice there.’
7. If he says, ‘Good!’ then I will be safe. But if he gets really angry, then you’ll know for sure that he has decided to harm me.
8. Now, be kind to me. After all, you forced me into an agreement with the Lord. If I have committed any crime, kill me yourself. Why bother taking me to your father?”
9. Jonathan answered, “That’s unthinkable! If I knew for sure that my father had decided to harm you, I would have told you about it.”
10. Then David asked, “Who will tell me whether or not your father gives you a harsh answer?”
11. Jonathan said, “Let’s go out into the country.” So they went out into the country.
12. “As the Lord God of Israel ⌊is my witness⌋,” Jonathan continued, “I’ll find out in the next two or three days how my father feels about you. If he does feel kindly toward you, then I will send someone to tell you.
13. If my father plans to harm you and I fail to tell you and send you away safely, may the Lord harm me even more. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.
14. But as long as I live, ⌊promise me that you will⌋ show me kindness because of the Lord. And even when I die,
15. never stop being kind to my family. The Lord will wipe each of David’s enemies off the face of the earth.
16. At that time, if Jonathan’s name is cut off from David’s family, then may the Lord punish David’s house.”
17. Once again Jonathan swore an oath to David because of his love for David. He loved David as much as ⌊he loved⌋ himself.