1 Samuel 20:8–17

⁸“Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for ^ayou have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But ^bif there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?”

⁹Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?”

¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me ¹if your father answers you harshly?”

¹¹Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out to the field.

¹²Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and ¹make it known to you?

¹³“If it please my father to do you harm, ^amay the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not ¹make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And ^bmay the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.

¹⁴“If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord, that I may not die?

¹⁵“^aYou shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “^aMay the Lord require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”

¹⁷Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because ^ahe loved him as he loved his own life.