d to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers
you harshly?" Jonathan answered, "Jehovah the God of Israel be witness
that about this time to-morrow I will find out how my father feels. If
he feels kindly toward you, then I will send and tell you. Should my
father wish to do you harm, God do to Jonathan whatever he will and more
too if I do not tell you and send you away that you may go in peace. May
Jehovah be with you, as he has been with my father. And if I am yet
alive, O may you show me kindness like that of Jehovah himself! But if I
should die, you must never cease to be kind to my family. And if, when
Jehovah destroys all the enemies of David from the face of the earth,
the family of Jonathan should be destroyed by the family of David, may
Jehovah punish the crime by the hand of David's enemies." So Jonathan
renewed his solemn promise to David, because he loved him; for he loved
him as much as he loved his own life.

Then Jonathan said to him, "To-morrow is the festival of the New Moon
and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. On the third day,
when you will be greatly missed, go to the place where you hid yourself
when my father attacked you, and sit down beside the heap of stones. I
will shoot three arrows on one side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
Then I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I call to
the boy, 'See, the arrows are on this side of you; pick them up!'--then
come; for all goes well with you, and as surely as Jehovah lives, there
is nothing to fear. But if I call to the boy, 'See, the arrows are
beyond you,' then go, for Jehovah sends you away. And as for the
promises which you and I have made, Jehovah is witness between you and
me forever."

So David hid himself in the field; and when the festival of the New Moon
came, Saul sat down at the table to eat. He sat on his seat, as usual,
by the wall, and Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat beside Saul; but
David's seat was empty. Saul, however, did not say anything that day,
for he thought, "It is an accident."

But on the next day when David's place was again empty, Saul said to
Jonathan, "Why has not the son of Jesse come to the table, either
yesterday or to-day?" Jonathan answered, "David asked permission to go
to Bethlehem, for he said, 'Let me go, for we have a family sacrifice in
the town, and my brother has commanded me to be there. Now if you
approve, let me go away that I may see my family.' Therefore