1. Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and went to Jonathan. “What have I done?” he asked. “What crime have I committed? What wrong have I done to your father to make him want to kill me?”
2. Jonathan answered, “God forbid that you should die! My father tells me everything he does, important or not, and he would not hide this from me. It isn't true!”
3. But David answered, “Your father knows very well how much you like me, and he has decided not to let you know what he plans to do, because you would be deeply hurt. I swear to you by the living Lord that I am only a step away from death!”
4. Jonathan said, “I'll do anything you want.”
5. “Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival,” David replied, “and I am supposed to eat with the king. But if it's all right with you, I will go and hide in the fields until the evening of the day after tomorrow.
6. If your father notices that I am not at table, tell him that I begged your permission to hurry home to Bethlehem, since it's the time for the annual sacrifice there for my whole family.
7. If he says, ‘All right,’ I will be safe; but if he becomes angry, you will know that he is determined to harm me.
8. Please do me this favour, and keep the sacred promise you made to me. But if I'm guilty, kill me yourself! Why take me to your father to be killed?”
9. “Don't even think such a thing!” Jonathan answered. “If I knew for certain that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?”
10. David then asked, “Who will let me know if your father answers you angrily?”
11. “Let's go out to the fields,” Jonathan answered. So they went,
12. and Jonathan said to David, “May the Lord God of Israel be our witness! At this time tomorrow and on the following day I will question my father. If his attitude towards you is good, I will send you word.
13. If he intends to harm you, may the Lord strike me dead if I don't let you know about it and get you safely away. May the Lord be with you as he was with my father!
14. And if I remain alive, please keep your sacred promise and be loyal to me; but if I die,
15. show the same kind of loyalty to my family for ever. And when the Lord has completely destroyed all your enemies,
16. may our promise to each other still be unbroken. If it is broken, the Lord will punish you.”