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Saul’s Plan to Kill David

19 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officers to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan was very fond of David, so he reported to David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you. Please be careful tomorrow morning. Go into hiding, and stay out of sight. I’ll go out and stand beside my father in the field where you’ll be. I’ll speak with my father about you. If I find out anything, I’ll tell you.”

So Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. “You should not commit a sin against your servant David,” he said. “He hasn’t sinned against you. Instead, he has done some very fine things for you: He risked his life and killed the Philistine Goliath, and Yahweh gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you rejoiced. Why then should you sin by shedding David’s innocent blood for no reason?”

Saul listened to Jonathan, and he promised, “I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives, he will not be killed.” Jonathan told David all of this. Then Jonathan took David to Saul. So David was returned to his former status in Saul’s court.

Saul Tries to Kill David

When war broke out again, David went to fight the Philistines. He defeated them so decisively that they fled from him. Then an evil spirit from Yahweh came over Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was strumming a tune. 10 Saul tried to nail David to the wall with his spear. But David dodged it, and Saul’s spear struck the wall. David fled, escaping from Saul that night.

11 Saul sent messengers to watch David’s house and kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, advised him, “If you don’t save yourself tonight, you’ll be dead tomorrow!” 12 So Michal lowered David through a window, and he ran away to escape. 13 Then Michal took some idols, laid them in the bed, put a goat-hair blanket at its head, and covered the idols with a garment.

14 When Saul sent messengers to get David, Michal said, “He’s sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David themselves. Saul told them, “Bring him here to me in his bed so that I can kill him.” 16 The messengers came, and there in the bed were the idols with the goat-hair blanket at its head.

17 Saul asked Michal, “Why did you betray me by sending my enemy away so that he could escape?”

Michal answered, “He told me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”

18 David escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah. He told Samuel everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to the pastures and lived there.

19 When it was reported to Saul that David was in the pastures at Ramah, 20 Saul sent messengers to get David. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel serving as their leader, the Ruach Elohim came over Saul’s messengers so that they also prophesied. 21 When they told Saul about this, he sent other messengers, but they also prophesied. Saul even sent a third group of messengers, but they also prophesied. 22 Then he went to Ramah himself. He went as far as the big cistern in Secu and asked the people, “Where are Samuel and David?”

He was told, “Over there in the pastures at Ramah.” 23 As he went toward the pastures at Ramah, the Ruach Elohim came over him too. He continued his journey, prophesying until he came to the pastures at Ramah. 24 He even took off his clothes as he prophesied in front of Samuel and lay there naked all day and all night. This is where the saying, “Is Saul one of the prophets?” came from.

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 Saul told his son Jonathan(A) and all the attendants to kill(B) David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding(C) and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak(D) to him about you and will tell you what I find out.”

Jonathan spoke(E) well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong(F) to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life(G) in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory(H) for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent(I) man like David by killing him for no reason?”

Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.”

So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.(J)

Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

But an evil[a] spirit(K) from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre,(L) 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded(M) him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

11 Saul sent men to David’s house to watch(N) it and to kill him in the morning.(O) But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through a window,(P) and he fled and escaped. 13 Then Michal took an idol(Q) and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.

14 When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said,(R) “He is ill.”

15 Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.” 16 But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair.

17 Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?”

Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?’”

18 When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah(S) and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. 19 Word came to Saul: “David is in Naioth at Ramah”; 20 so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets(T) prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on(U) Saul’s men, and they also prophesied.(V) 21 Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

“Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said.

23 So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying(W) until he came to Naioth. 24 He stripped(X) off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s(Y) presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”(Z)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 19:9 Or But a harmful

19 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:

And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.

And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:

For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?

And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain.

And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.

And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.

And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin: but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

11 Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.

12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.

13 And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.

14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.

16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.

17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.

20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.

22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.

23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?