Beginning
Jonathan and David’s Friendship
18 When David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan became a close friend to David,[a] and Jonathan[b] loved him as himself. 2 Saul took David[c] that day and did not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as he loved himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe that he had on and gave it to David, along with his coat, his sword, his bow, and his belt. 5 David went out and was successful everywhere Saul sent him, and Saul put him in charge of the troops. This pleased the entire army,[d] as well as Saul’s officials.[e]
Saul’s Jealousy of David
6 When David returned from defeating the Philistine, as they were entering the city, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul, singing and dancing as they joyously played tambourines and lyres. 7 As the women sang and played, they said,
“Saul has struck down his thousands
but David his ten thousands.”
8 Saul was very angry and he did not like what the women sang. He told himself,[f] “They have attributed tens of thousands to David, but to me they have attributed thousands. What else can he have but the kingdom?” 9 From then on Saul kept his eye on David.[g]
10 The next day, while David was playing the lyre[h] as he had before, the evil spirit from the Lord attacked Saul, and he began to rave[i] inside the house with a spear in his hand. 11 Saul hurled it, thinking,[j] “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from him twice.
12 Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him and had departed from Saul. 13 Saul removed David[k] from his presence and made him an officer over a division of soldiers.[l] So David led the troops in battle.[m] 14 David was successful in all that he did, for the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw that David[n] was highly successful, he feared him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in battle.[o]
David Marries Saul’s Daughter
17 Saul told David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife. Just be an excellent soldier for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” Now Saul told himself,[p] “I won’t harm him myself.[q] Instead, I’ll let the Philistines harm him.”[r]
18 David told Saul, “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 And when the time came to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given as a wife to Adriel of Meholah.
20 Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. Saul was informed of this and he liked the idea.[s] 21 Saul told himself,[t] “I’ll give her to him and she can be a snare to him and the Philistines will harm him.”[u] So Saul told David, “For a second time you can be my son-in-law today.”
22 Saul commanded his officials,[v] “Speak with David privately and say, ‘Look, the king delights in you, and all his officials[w] love you. Now become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 Saul’s officials[x] delivered this message to David,[y] and he[z] asked, “Is becoming the king’s son-in-law an unimportant thing to you? I’m a poor and unimportant man.”
24 Saul’s officials[aa] reported to him: “This is what David said.”
25 Saul said, “This is what you are to tell David, ‘The king desires no bride price except 100 Philistine foreskins to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” Now Saul thought he would cause David to die at the hand of the Philistines. 26 When his officials[ab] delivered this message to David, David decided it would be a good thing to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the time was up, 27 David got up, went out with his men, and struck down 200 Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and gave them all to the king so he could become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife. 28 As Saul continued to observe, he realized that the Lord was with David and that Saul’s daughter Michal loved him. 29 Then Saul was even more afraid of David, and Saul was David’s enemy from that time on.[ac]
30 The Philistine commanders would go out to fight[ad] and whenever they did, David was more successful than any of Saul’s other leaders.[ae] His name was held in high esteem.
Jonathan Intercedes for David
19 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officials[af] to kill David, but Saul’s son Jonathan was very fond of[ag] David. 2 So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you. In the morning be careful and stay hidden in a secret place. 3 I’ll go out and stand by my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to my father about you. If I find out what he intends to do,[ah] I’ll tell you.”
4 Jonathan spoke to his father Saul favorably about David. “The king shouldn’t wrong his servant David because he has not wronged you and because what he has done has been very beneficial for you. 5 He risked his life[ai] and struck down the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a spectacular deliverance for all Israel. You saw that and rejoiced, so why would you do wrong and shed innocent blood[aj] by killing David without cause?” 6 Saul listened to Jonathan, and swore by the life of the Lord that David[ak] would not be killed. 7 Jonathan summoned David and told him all this.[al] Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David[am] served him[an] as before.
Saul Again Tries to Kill David
8 The war continued and David went out to fight against the Philistines. He thoroughly defeated them,[ao] and they fled before David.[ap] 9 The evil spirit from the Lord attacked Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand and David was playing the lyre. 10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he jumped away from Saul and the spear stuck in the wall. That night David escaped and fled.
Michal Helps David Escape
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him so they could kill him in the morning. David’s wife, Michal, told him, “If you don’t escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be put to death.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he escaped and fled. 13 Then Michal took the household idol[aq] and laid it on the bed with a cover of goat hair placed at its head. Then she covered it with clothes.
14 When Saul sent the messengers to take David, Michal said, “He’s sick.”
15 Then Saul sent messengers to check on[ar] David. He told them, “Bring him to me on the bed so I may kill him.”[as] 16 The messengers went in, and there was the household idol in the bed with the cover of goat hair at its head!
17 Then Saul told Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and let my enemy go so he could escape?”
Michal told Saul, “He told me, ‘Let me go or I’ll kill you!’”[at]
Saul Prophesies at Ramah and David Escapes
18 David escaped and fled. He came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. 19 It was reported to Saul saying, “David is at Naioth in Ramah right now.” 20 Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw a group of prophets caught up in prophetic ecstasy,[au] with Samuel standing beside them leading them. Then the Spirit of God came on Saul’s messengers, and they also were caught up in prophetic ecstasy.[av]
21 They reported this to Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also were caught up in prophetic ecstasy.[aw] 22 Then Saul himself went to Ramah, and he arrived at the large well that is in Secu. He asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”
Someone[ax] replied, “They’re at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 Saul went to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came on him also. He continued in prophetic ecstasy[ay] until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He also removed his clothes and was caught up in prophetic ecstasy[az] right in front of Samuel! He fell down naked and remained there all that day and all night. That is why people say,[ba] “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
David and Jonathan’s Discussion
20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he’s determined to kill me?[bb]
2 Jonathan[bc] told him, “Far from it! You won’t die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me;[bd] so why should my father hide this thing from me? It’s not like that!”
3 David again took an oath: “Your father certainly knows that I’ve found favor with you, and so he told himself,[be] ‘Jonathan must not know this so he won’t be upset.’ But as certainly as the Lord is alive and living, and as certainly as I’m alive and living, too, there is only a step between me and death.”
4 Jonathan told David, “Whatever you say, I’ll do.”
5 David told Jonathan, “Look, the New Moon is tomorrow, and I’m expected to sit down with the king to eat. Let me go so I can hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.[bf] 6 If your father actually notices that I’m not there,[bg] then you are to say, ‘David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant will be safe.[bh] But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil.[bi] 8 Now, show gracious kindness to your servant because you have entered into a sacred covenant[bj] with your servant. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself—why should you bring me to your father?”
9 “Nonsense!” Jonathan replied. “If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”
10 Then David told Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
David and Jonathan Make a Covenant
11 Then Jonathan told David, “Come, let’s go into the field.” So the two of them went into the field. 12 Jonathan told David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness[bk] that I’ll carefully question my father by tomorrow or the next day. And if the response[bl] is favorable for David, will I not then send word[bm] to you and let you know?[bn] 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord strike me dead[bo] if I don’t let you know and send you away so you may go safely. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14 If I remain alive, don’t fail to show me the Lord’s gracious love so that I don’t die. 15 And don’t stop showing your gracious love to my family forever, not even when the Lord eliminates each of David’s enemies from the surface of the earth.” 16 Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: “May the Lord punish any violation of this covenant by the hand of David’s enemies.”[bp] 17 Jonathan made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.
Jonathan’s Signal to David
18 Jonathan told him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly and come to the place where you hid earlier.[bq] Remain beside the rock at Ezel. 20 I’ll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock[br] as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I’ll send a servant,[bs] saying,[bt] ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the servant,[bu] ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come out because it’s safe for you, and, as surely as the Lord lives, there is no danger.[bv] 22 But if I say this to the young man: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 As for the matter about which you and I spoke, remember that[bw] the Lord is a witness[bx] between us forever.”
Jonathan Intercedes for David
24 David hid in the field. When the New Moon arrived, the king sat down to eat. 25 The king sat down at his place as before, in the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood while Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul didn’t say anything that day because he told himself,[by] “Something has happened; he’s unclean; surely he’s not clean.”
27 But the next day, on the second day of the New Moon, David’s place was empty, and so Saul told his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t Jesse’s son come to the festival, either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David urgently requested that I let him go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Please let me go because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to come. Now, if it’s acceptable to you,[bz] please let me get away so I can see my brothers.’ That’s the reason he didn’t come to the king’s table.”
Saul’s Anger toward Jonathan
30 Saul flew into a rage and told Jonathan, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have chosen Jesse’s son to your shame and to the shame of your mother who bore you?[ca] 31 As long as[cb] Jesse’s son lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established! Now send someone and bring David[cc] to me. He’s a dead man!”
32 Jonathan asked his father Saul, “Why should he be killed? What did he do?” 33 Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan[cd] down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David. 34 So on the second day of the New Moon Jonathan angrily got up from the table without eating because he was upset about David, and because his father had humiliated him.
Jonathan Warns David
35 In the morning Jonathan, accompanied by a servant,[ce] went out to the field for the appointment with David. 36 Jonathan[cf] told his servant,[cg] “Run, find the arrows that I’m shooting.” As the servant[ch] ran, Jonathan[ci] shot the arrow beyond him. 37 The servant[cj] came to the place where Jonathan had shot it, and Jonathan called out to him,[ck] “The arrow is beyond you, isn’t it?” 38 Jonathan called out to the servant,[cl] “Hurry, be quick, don’t stand around.” Jonathan’s servant[cm] picked up the arrow and brought it to his master. 39 The servant was not aware of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what had happened.[cn]
40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant[co] who was with him and told him, “Go, take these things to the city.” 41 The servant[cp] went. Then David came out from the south side of the rock,[cq] fell on his face, and bowed down three times. The men kissed each other, and both of them cried, but David even more. 42 Jonathan told David, “Go in peace since both of us swore in the name of the Lord: ‘May the Lord be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”
[cr]Then David[cs] got up and left, while Jonathan went to the city.
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