8. Jonathan, be loyal to me, your servant. You have made an agreement with me before the Lord. If I am guilty, you may kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
9. Jonathan answered, “No, never! If I learn that my father plans to hurt you, I will warn you!”
10. David asked, “Who will let me know if your father answers you unkindly?”
11. Then Jonathan said, “Come, let’s go out into the field.” So the two of them went out into the field.
12. Jonathan said to David, “I promise this before the Lord, the God of Israel: At this same time the day after tomorrow, I will find out how my father feels. If he feels good toward you, I will send word to you and let you know.
13. But if my father plans to hurt you, I will let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord punish me terribly if I don’t do this. And may the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.
14. But show me the kindness of the Lord as long as I live so that I may not die.
15. You must never stop showing your kindness to my family, even when the Lord has destroyed all your enemies from the earth.”
16. So Jonathan made an agreement with David. He said, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies responsible.”
17. And Jonathan asked David to repeat his promise of love for him, because he loved David as much as he loved himself.
18. Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. Your seat will be empty, so my father will miss you.
19. On the third day go to the place where you hid when this trouble began. Wait by the rock Ezel.
20. On the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as if I am shooting at a target.
21. Then I will send a boy to find the arrows. If I say to him, ‘The arrows are near you; bring them here,’ you may come out of hiding. You are safe. As the Lord lives, there is no danger.
22. But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ you must go, because the Lord is sending you away.
23. Remember what we talked about. The Lord is a witness between you and me forever.”
24. So David hid in the field. When the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.
25. He sat where he always sat, near the wall. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty.
26. That day Saul said nothing. He thought, “Maybe something has happened to David so that he is unclean.”