14. The Arrow-Boy and the Two Friends

(1 Samuel 18 to 20)

The shepherd-boy who slew the giant was invited to live at the king’s palace, and he became a great friend of the king’s son, Jonathan. David and Jonathan soon loved each other greatly. All the people too came to love David more than they did King Saul. This made the king very jealous, and he resolved to kill this popular young soldier, whom everybody praised so much; even the women and girls singing of him in the streets:

When Jonathan suspected his father’s evil intentions, he told David to go away from the palace for three days. “After three days,” he said, “I will come to your hiding-place and bring an arrow-boy with me, and I will shoot three arrows. If I say to the boy, ‘Run and find the arrows on this side of you, come back,’ you can come back to the palace in safety; but if I say, ‘Haste, stay not,’ then there is danger, and you must flee.” After two days Saul missed David at the dining-table, and told Jonathan that if he found David he would surely kill him. And he threw a javelin at Jonathan to kill him too, because he was the friend of David. Quickly Jonathan went with the boy to the place appointed and shot an arrow far beyond the mark and cried to the boy, “Haste, stay not.” The boy ran and brought him the arrow and returned to the palace. David came out from his hiding-place. The two friends kissed each other and made promises of eternal friendship. And they saw each other only once after that day. So the arrow-boy helped the two friends.