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David protégé à trois reprises contre les attentats de Saül; sa fuite

19 Saül parla à Jonathan, son fils, et à tous ses serviteurs, de faire mourir David. Mais Jonathan, fils de Saül, qui avait une grande affection pour David, l’en informa et lui dit: Saül, mon père, cherche à te faire mourir. Sois donc sur tes gardes demain matin, reste dans un lieu retiré, et cache-toi. Je sortirai et je me tiendrai à côté de mon père dans le champ où tu seras; je parlerai de toi à mon père, je verrai ce qu’il dira, et je te le rapporterai. Jonathan parla favorablement de David à Saül, son père: Que le roi, dit-il, ne commette pas un péché à l’égard de son serviteur David, car il n’en a point commis envers toi. Au contraire, il a agi pour ton bien; il a exposé sa vie, il a tué le Philistin, et l’Eternel a opéré une grande délivrance pour tout Israël. Tu l’as vu, et tu t’en es réjoui. Pourquoi pécherais-tu contre le sang innocent, et ferais-tu sans raison mourir David? Saül écouta la voix de Jonathan, et il jura, disant: L’Eternel est vivant! David ne mourra pas. Jonathan appela David, et lui rapporta toutes ces paroles; puis il l’amena auprès de Saül, et David fut à son service comme auparavant.

La guerre continuait. David marcha contre les Philistins, et se battit avec eux; il leur fit éprouver une grande défaite, et ils s’enfuirent devant lui.

Alors le mauvais esprit venant de l’Eternel fut sur Saül, qui était assis dans sa maison, sa lance à la main. 10 David jouait, et Saül voulut le frapper avec sa lance contre la paroi. Mais David se détourna de lui, et Saül frappa de sa lance la paroi. David prit la fuite et s’échappa pendant la nuit. 11 Saül envoya des gens vers la maison de David, pour le garder et le faire mourir au matin. Mais Mical, femme de David, l’en informa et lui dit: Si tu ne te sauves pas cette nuit, demain tu es mort. 12 Elle le fit descendre par la fenêtre, et David s’en alla et s’enfuit. C’est ainsi qu’il échappa. 13 Ensuite Mical prit le théraphim, qu’elle plaça dans le lit; elle mit une peau de chèvre à son chevet, et elle l’enveloppa d’une couverture. 14 Lorsque Saül envoya des gens pour prendre David, elle dit: Il est malade. 15 Saül les renvoya pour qu’ils le voient, et il dit: Apportez-le-moi dans son lit, afin que je le fasse mourir. 16 Ces gens revinrent, et voici, le théraphim était dans le lit, avec une peau de chèvre à son chevet. 17 Saül dit à Mical: Pourquoi m’as-tu trompé de la sorte, et as-tu laissé partir mon ennemi qui s’est échappé? Mical répondit à Saül: Il m’a dit: Laisse moi aller, ou je te tue!

18 C’est ainsi que David prit la fuite et qu’il échappa. Il se rendit auprès de Samuel à Rama, et lui raconta tout ce que Saül lui avait fait. Puis il alla avec Samuel demeurer à Najoth. 19 On le rapporta à Saül, en disant: Voici, David est à Najoth, près de Rama. 20 Saül envoya des gens pour prendre David. Ils virent une assemblée de prophètes qui prophétisaient, ayant Samuel à leur tête. L’Esprit de Dieu saisit les envoyés de Saül, et ils se mirent aussi à prophétiser eux-mêmes. 21 On en fit rapport à Saül, qui envoya d’autres gens, et eux aussi prophétisèrent. Il en envoya encore pour la troisième fois, et ils prophétisèrent également. 22 Alors Saül alla lui-même à Rama. Arrivé à la grande citerne qui est à Sécou, il demanda: Où sont Samuel et David? On lui répondit: Ils sont à Najoth, près de Rama. 23 Et il se dirigea vers Najoth, près de Rama. L’Esprit de Dieu fut aussi sur lui; et Saül continua son chemin en prophétisant, jusqu’à son arrivée à Najoth, près de Rama. 24 Il ôta ses vêtements, et il prophétisa aussi devant Samuel; et il se jeta nu par terre tout ce jour-là et toute la nuit. C’est pourquoi l’on dit: Saül est-il aussi parmi les prophètes?

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 Now Saul told his son Jonathan and all his courtiers to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan delighted much in David. So Jonathan informed David saying, “My father Saul is seeking to kill you. So now, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you will be, and I will speak with my father about you. If I notice anything, I will tell you.” So Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “May the king not sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial for you; For he put his life in his hand and killed the Philistine, and Adonai won a great victory for all Israel—you saw it and rejoiced. So why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David without a cause?”

Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As Adonai lives, he will not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul and in his presence as before.

Once again war broke out, and David marched out and fought the Philistines, and inflicted a great slaughter on them and they fled before him. Yet once again an evil spirit from Adonai came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, as David was playing music with his hand. 10 Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s face, so that he drove the spear into the wall. That night David fled and got away.

11 Then Saul sent agents to David’s house to watch him, in order to kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him saying, “If you don’t escape for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” 12 So Michal lowered David down through the window, and thus he went, fled and escaped. 13 Then Michal took a household idol, laid it in the bed, put a quilt of goats’ hair at the head and covered it with a cloth. 14 When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, “He’s sick.”

15 So Saul sent the agents back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed so I may put him to death.” 16 When the messengers came in, behold, the household idol was in the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair at its head. 17 Saul then said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy get away, so that he escaped?”

Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go or I’ll kill you!’”

18 So David fled and escaped, went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. 19 Saul was told, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 So Saul sent agents to seize David, but they saw a band of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing and presiding over them. Then the Ruach of God came upon Saul’s agents and they too prophesied. 21 When Saul was told, he sent other agents and they too prophesied. Then Saul sent a third group of messengers, and they too prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah, and when he arrived at the great cistern in Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

Someone answered, “Look, they are at Naioth at Ramah.” 23 So he proceeded there, to Naioth at Ramah, and the Ruach of God came upon him as well, and he prophesied as he kept walking until he arrived to Naioth at Ramah. 24 Then he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. That is why people were saying, “Is Saul too among the prophets?”

Saul Persecutes David

19 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill (A)David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, (B)delighted greatly in David. So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell (C)you.”

Thus Jonathan (D)spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king (E)sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you. For he took his (F)life in his hands and (G)killed the Philistine, and (H)the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. (I)Why then will you (J)sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”

So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed.” Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence (K)as in times past.

And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, (L)and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him.

Now (M)the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. 10 Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.

11 (N)Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal (O)let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped. 13 And Michal took [a]an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothes. 14 So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”

15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goats’ hair for his head. 17 Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?”

And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! (P)Why should I kill you?’ ”

18 So David fled and escaped, and went to (Q)Samuel at (R)Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. 19 Now it was told Saul, saying, “Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah!” 20 Then (S)Saul sent messengers to take David. (T)And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also (U)prophesied. 21 And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22 Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?”

And someone said, “Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then (V)the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 (W)And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down (X)naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, (Y)Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 19:13 household idols, Heb. teraphim