⁸“Please be kind to me. You have made a covenant with me in the sight of the Lord. If I’m guilty, kill me yourself! Don’t hand me over to your father!”

⁹“I would never do that!” Jonathan said. “Suppose I had even the smallest clue that my father had made up his mind to harm you. Then I would tell you.”

¹⁰David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you in a mean way?”

¹¹“Come on,” Jonathan said. “Let’s go out to the field.” So they went there together.

¹²Then Jonathan spoke to David. He said, “I promise you that I’ll find out what my father is planning to do. I’ll find out by this time the day after tomorrow. The Lord, the God of Israel, is my witness. Suppose my father feels kind toward you. Then I’ll send you a message and let you know. ¹³But suppose he wants to harm you. And I don’t let you know about it. I don’t help you get away safely. Then may the Lord punish me greatly. May he be with you, just as he has been with my father.

¹⁴“But always be kind to me, just as the Lord is. Be kind to me as long as I live. Then I won’t be killed. ¹⁵And never stop being kind to my family. Don’t stop even when the Lord has cut off every one of your enemies from the face of the earth.”

¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with David and his family. He said, “May the Lord make David’s enemies accountable for what they’ve done.” ¹⁷Jonathan had David take an oath again because he loved him. In fact, Jonathan loved David just as he loved himself.

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