22. But if I yell to the young man, ‘Hey! The arrow is past you,’ then run for it, because the Lord has sent you away.
23. Either way, the Lord is witness between us forever regarding the promise we made to each other."
24. So David hid himself in the field.When the new moon came, the king sat at the feast to eat.
25. He took his customary seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite him while Abner sat beside Saul. David’s seat was empty.
26. Saul didn’t say anything that day because he thought, Perhaps David became unclean somehow. That must be it.
27. But on the next day, the second of the new moon, David’s seat was still empty. Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why hasn’t Jesse’s son come to the table, either yesterday or today?"
28. Jonathan answered Saul, "David begged my permission to go to Bethlehem.
29. He said, ‘Please let me go because we have a family sacrifice there in town, and my brother has ordered me to be present. Please do me a favor and let me slip away so I can see my family.’ That’s why David hasn’t been at the king’s table."