1 Samuel 20:8–17

⁸Therefore thou shalt ^jdeal kindly with thy servant; for ^kthou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: notwithstanding, ^lif there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? ⁹And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? ¹⁰Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly? ¹¹And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. ¹²And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; ^13mthe Lord do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and ⁿthe Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. ¹⁴And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: ¹⁵but also ^othou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. ¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, ^pLet the Lord even require it at the hand of David’s enemies. ¹⁷And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: ^qfor he loved him as he loved his own soul.