1 Samuel 18-19

New American Standard Bible 1995

Jonathan and David

18 Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that ^(A)the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and ^(B)Jonathan loved him as himself. ² Saul took him that day and ^(C)did not let him return to his father’s house. ³ Then ^(D)Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. ^4 (E)Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt. ⁵ So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and ^[a]prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

⁶ It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that ^(F)the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with ^[b]musical instruments. ⁷ The women ^(G)sang as they ^[c]played, and said,

⁸ Then Saul became very angry, for this saying ^[d]displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now ^(J)what more can he have but the kingdom?” ⁹ Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.

Saul Turns against David

¹⁰ Now it came about on the next day that ^(K)an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and ^(L)he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing the harp with his hand, ^[e](M)as usual; and ^[f](N)a spear was in Saul’s hand. ^11 (O)Saul hurled the spear for he thought, “I will ^[g]pin David to the wall.” But David ^[h]escaped from his presence twice.

¹² Now ^(P)Saul was afraid of David, ^(Q)for the Lord was with him but ^(R)had departed from Saul. ¹³ Therefore Saul removed him from ^[i]his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and ^(S)he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ David was ^[j]prospering in all his ways for ^(T)the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw that he was ^[k]prospering greatly, he dreaded him. ¹⁶ But ^(U)all Israel and Judah loved David, and he went out and came in before them.

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “^(V)Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight ^(W)the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “My hand shall not be against him, but ^(X)let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸ But David said to Saul, “^(Y)Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” ¹⁹ So it came about at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to ^(Z)Adriel ^(AA)the Meholathite for a wife.

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

²⁰ Now ^(AB)Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they told Saul, the thing was agreeable ^[l]to him. ²¹ Saul thought, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and ^(AC)that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “^(AD)For a second time you may be my son-in-law today.” ²² Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’” ²³ So Saul’s servants spoke these words ^[m]to David. But David said, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, ^(AE)since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?” ²⁴ The servants of Saul reported to him ^[n]according to these words which David spoke. ²⁵ Saul then said, “Thus you shall say to David, ‘The king does not desire any ^(AF)dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^(AG)to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” Now ^(AH)Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ When his servants told David these words, ^[o]it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. ^[p](AI)Before the days had expired ²⁷ David rose up and went, ^(AJ)he and his men, and struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. Then ^(AK)David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife. ²⁸ When Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, ²⁹ then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus Saul was David’s enemy continually.

³⁰ Then the commanders of the Philistines ^(AL)went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David ^(AM)behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed.

David Protected from Saul

19 Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants ^(AN)to put David to death. But ^(AO)Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. ² So Jonathan told David saying, “Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³ I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; ^(AP)if I ^[q]find out anything, then I will tell you.” ⁴ Then Jonathan ^(AQ)spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “^(AR)Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very ^[r]beneficial to you. ⁵ For ^(AS)he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and ^(AT)the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. ^(AU)Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?” ⁶ Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷ Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as ^(AV)formerly.

⁸ When there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines and ^[s]defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled before him. ⁹ Now there was ^(AW)an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house ^(AX)with his spear in his hand, ^(AY)and David was playing the harp with his hand. ^10 (AZ)Saul tried to ^[t]pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he ^[u]stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

¹¹ Then ^(BA)Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.” ^12 (BB)So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped. ¹³ Michal took ^(BC)the ^[v]household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes. ¹⁴ When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “^(BD)He is sick.” ¹⁵ Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on ^[w]his bed, that I may put him to death.” ¹⁶ When the messengers entered, behold, the ^[x]household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair at its head. ¹⁷ So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! ^(BE)Why should I put you to death?’”

¹⁸ Now David fled and escaped and came ^(BF)to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in ^(BG)Naioth. ¹⁹ It was told Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰ Then ^(BH)Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw ^(BI)the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and ^(BJ)they also prophesied. ²¹ When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. ²² Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” ²³ He ^[y]proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; and ^(BK)the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and ^[z]lay down ^[aa](BL)naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “^(BM)Is Saul also among the prophets?”