15. but you shall also not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when Yahweh has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the surface of the earth.”
16. So Jonathan made a covenant with David’s house, saying, “Yahweh will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”
17. Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18. Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
19. When you have stayed three days, go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and remain by the stone Ezel.
20. I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.
21. Behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ If I tell the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;’ then come; for there is peace to you and no danger, as Yahweh lives.
22. But if I say this to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you;’ then go your way; for Yahweh has sent you away.
23. Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”
24. So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon had come, the king sat himself down to eat food.
25. The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
26. Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean.”
27. On the next day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why doesn’t the son of Jesse come to eat, either yesterday, or today?”
28. Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.