1 Samuel 20:8–17

⁸Deal kindly then with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee; but if 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 with certainty that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, would I not tell it thee? ¹⁰Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly? ¹¹And Jonathan said to David, Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. ¹²And Jonathan said to David, Jehovah, God of Israel, when I sound my father about this time to-morrow, or the next day, and behold, there be good toward David, and I then send not to thee, and apprise thee of it, ¹³Jehovah do so and much more to Jonathan. Should it please my father to do thee evil, then I will apprise thee of it, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and Jehovah be with thee, as he has been with my father. ¹⁴And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of Jehovah, that I die not, ¹⁵but thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever, no, not when Jehovah cuts off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth. ¹⁶And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let Jehovah even require it at the hand of David’s enemies! ¹⁷And Jonathan caused David to swear again, by the love he had for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.