16. And Yehonathan made a covenant with the house of Dawiḏ, saying, “יהוה shall require it at the hand of the enemies of Dawiḏ.”
17. And Yehonathan again made Dawiḏ swear, because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own being.
18. So Yehonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you shall be missed, because your seat shall be empty.
19. “And on the third day, go down quickly and you shall come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed, and shall remain by the stone Ětsel.
20. “And let me shoot three arrows to the side of it as though shooting at a target,
21. and see, I shall send the youth, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them and come,’ then, as יהוה lives, there is safety for you and no concern.
22. “But if I say thus to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ go your way, for יהוה has sent you away.
23. “And as for the word which you and I have spoken of, see, יהוה is between you and me forever.”
24. And Dawiḏ hid in the field. And when the New Moon came, the sovereign sat down by the food to eat.
25. And the sovereign sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall, with Yehonathan standing, and Aḇnĕr sitting by Sha’ul’s side, but the place of Dawiḏ was empty.
26. But Sha’ul spoke not a word that day, for he thought, “It is an accident; he is not clean, for he has not been cleansed.”
27. And it came to be the next day, the second day of the month, that Dawiḏ’s place was empty. And Sha’ul said to Yehonathan his son, “Why has the son of Yishai not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”
28. And Yehonathan answered Sha’ul, “Dawiḏ earnestly asked my permission to go to Bĕyth Leḥem.
29. “And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our clan has a slaughtering in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favour in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the sovereign’s table.”
30. Then the displeasure of Sha’ul burned against Yehonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Yishai to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
31. “For as long as the son of Yishai lives on the earth, you shall not be established, you and your reign. And now, send and bring him to me, for he is a son of death.”