¹¹ Saul sent ·messengers [agents; soldiers] to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, saying, “Tonight you must ·run for [save] your life. If you don’t, you will be dead in the morning.” ¹² So she let David down out of a window, and he ·ran away [fled] and escaped. ¹³ Then Michal took an ·idol [household image; ^Lteraphim; ^Cprobably household gods; Gen. 31:19], laid it on the bed, covered it with ·clothes [blankets], and put goats’ hair at its head.

¹⁴ Saul sent ·messengers [agents; soldiers] to take David prisoner, but Michal said, “He is sick.”

¹⁵ Saul sent ·them [^Lmessengers; agents; soldiers] back to see David, saying, “Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him.”

¹⁶ When the ·messengers [agents; soldiers] entered David’s house, they found just an ·idol [household image; 19:13] on the bed with goats’ hair on its head.

¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why did ·you trick [deceive; betray] me this way? You let my enemy go so he could ·run away [escape]!”

Michal answered Saul, “David told me ·if I did not help him escape, he would kill me [^L“Let me go. Why should I kill you?].”