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18 And when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant; for he loved him as his own soul.
4 And Jonathan took off the robe that was upon him and gave it to David, and his garments, including his sword and his bow and his belt.
5 And David went out wherever Saul sent him, conducting himself wisely, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
6 When they came back, and David returned from the slaughter of the Philistines, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
7 And the women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has killed his thousand, and David his ten thousand!”
8 Therefore, Saul was exceedingly angry; and the saying displeased him. And he said, “They have ascribed ten thousand to David. And they have ascribed a thousand to me. And what more can he have except the kingdom?”
9 Therefore, Saul had an eye on David from that day forward.
10 And the next day, the spirit of misery from God came upon Saul. And he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David played with his hand, just as at other times. And there was a spear in Saul’s hand.
11 And Saul took the spear, and said, “I will strike David through, to the wall.” But David escaped from his presence twice.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him and had departed from Saul.
13 Therefore, Saul removed him from his presence and made him a captain over a thousand. And he went out and in before the people.
14 And David conducted himself wisely in all his ways, for the LORD was with him.
15 Therefore, when Saul saw that he was very wise, he was afraid of him.
16 For all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and in before them.
17 Then Saul said to David, “Behold, my eldest daughter, Merab, I will give her to you as a wife. Only, be a valiant son to me and fight the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “My hand shall not be upon him, but the hand of the Philistines shall be upon him.”
18 And David answered Saul, “Who am I? And what is my life, or the family of my father in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”
19 But it happened at that time, when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel, a Meholathite, as a wife.
20 Then Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul; and the thing pleased him.
21 Therefore, Saul said, “I will give her to him, so that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore, Saul said to David, “You shall, this day, be my son-in-law for a second time.”
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak with David secretly, and say, ‘Behold, the king favors you; and all his servants love you. Be now, therefore, the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 And Saul’s servants spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem a light thing to you to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of small reputation?”
24 And then Saul’s servants brought him word back, saying, “David spoke such words.”
25 And Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king desires no dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines to be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” For Saul thought to make David fall into the hands of the Philistines.
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. And before the days had expired,
27 David arose with his men and went and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins; and they gave them wholly to the king, so that he might be the king’s son-in-law. Therefore, Saul gave him Michal, his daughter, as a wife.
28 Then Saul saw and understood that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved him.
29 Then Saul was more and more afraid of David. And Saul became David’s continual enemy.
30 And when the princes of the Philistines went forth, at their going forth David conducted himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.
19 Then Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants, so that they would kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David.
2 And Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul, my father, intends to kill you. Now, therefore, please be on your guard until morning and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
3 “And I will go out and stand by my father in the field where you are and will commune with my father about you. And I will see what he says and will tell you.”
4 And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul, his father, and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant, against David. For he has not sinned against you, but his works have been very good to you.
5 “For he put his life in danger and killed the Philistine. And the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and you rejoiced. Why, then, will you sin against innocent blood and kill David without a reason?”
6 Then Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. And Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not die.”
7 So Jonathan called David. And Jonathan told him all those words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul. And he was in his presence, as in times past.
8 Again, the war began. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and killed them with a great slaughter. And they fled from him.
9 And the spirit of misery from the LORD was upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David played with his hand.
10 And Saul intended to pin David to the wall with the spear. But he turned aside, out of Saul’s presence. And he struck the spear against the wall. But David fled and escaped that same night.
11 Saul also sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told it to him, saying, “If you do not save yourself this night, tomorrow you shall be killed.
12 So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped.
13 Then Michal took an image and laid it in the bed and put a pillow stuffed with goat’s hair under the head of it 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 back to see David, saying, “Bring him to me in the bed, so that I may kill him.”
16 And when the messengers had come in, behold, an image was in the bed with a pillow of goat’s hair under the head of it.
17 And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you mocked me so, and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go, or else I will kill you.’”
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 But someone told Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw a company of Prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God fell upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And when it was told to Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Again, Saul sent a third group of messengers; and they prophesied also.
22 Then, he himself went 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, at Naioth in Ramah.”
23 And he went there, to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him also. And he went prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he stripped off his clothes; and he also prophesied before Samuel and fell down naked, all that day and all that night. Therefore, they say, “Is Saul also among the Prophets?”
20 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what sin have I committed before your father, that he seeks my life?”
2 And he said to him, “May it never be! You shall not die. Behold, my father will do nothing great or small before he tells it to me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? He will not do it.”
3 And David swore again and said, “Your father knows that I have found grace in your eyes. Therefore, he thinks, ‘Jonathan shall not know it, lest he is grieved.’ But indeed, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death!”
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul requires, that I will do to you.”
5 And David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the first day of the month, and I should sit with the king to eat. But let me go, so that I may hide myself in the fields until the third day at evening.
6 “If your father mentions me, then say, ‘David asked leave of me, so that he might go to Bethlehem, to his own city.’ For there is a yearly sacrifice for that whole family.’
7 “And if he says this: ‘It is well,’ your servant shall have peace. But if he is angry, be sure that wickedness is his conclusion.
8 “So shall you show mercy to your servant. For you have brought your servant into a Covenant of the LORD with you. And if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself. For why should you bring me to your father?”
9 And Jonathan answered, “God keep you from that! For if I knew that my father had intended to bring wickedness upon you, would I not tell you?”
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who shall tell me? How shall I know if your father answers you roughly?”
11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come and let us go out into the field.” And they both went out into the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “O LORD God of Israel, when I have searched my father’s mind tomorrow at this time, within these three days, and if it is well with David, and I then do not send to you and tell you,
13 “the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan! But, if my father has a mind to do you evil, I will also tell you and send you away, so that you may go in peace. and the LORD is with you as He has been with my father.
14 “Likewise, not only you will show me the mercy of the LORD while I live, so that I do not die,
15 “but you will never cut off your mercy from my house ever, not even when the LORD has destroyed the enemies of David, each one from the Earth.”
16 So, Jonathan made a bond with the House of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”
17 And again, Jonathan swore to David, because he loved him (for he loved him as his own soul).
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the first day of the month. And you shall be missed, for your place shall be empty.
19 “Therefore you shall hide yourself for three days. Then, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when this matter occurred and remain by the stone Ezel.
20 “And I will shoot three arrows to its side, as though I shot at a mark.
21 “And afterward, I will send a boy, saying, ‘Go! Seek the arrows!’ If I say to the boy, ‘See, the arrows are on this side of you. Bring them and come.’ It is well with you and there is no danger, as the LORD lives.
22 “But if I say this to the boy: ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go your way. For the LORD has sent you away.
23 “As for the thing which you and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the first day of the month came, the king sat to eat food.
25 And the king sat, as at other times upon his seat, upon his seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose and Abner sat by Saul’s side. But David’s place was empty.
26 And Saul said nothing that day. For he thought, “Something has befallen him. He is not clean. Surely, he was not purified.”
27 But the next day, which was the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. And Saul said to Jonathan, his son, “Why does not the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday nor today?”
28 And Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.
29 “For he said, ‘Please let me go. For our family offers a Sacrifice in the city and my brother has sent for me. Therefore, now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brethren.’ This is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul was angry with Jonathan, and said to him, “You son of the wicked rebellious woman! Do not I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse, to your shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
31 “For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the Earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom! Therefore, send now and fetch him to me! For he shall surely die!”
32 And Jonathan answered Saul, his father, and said to him, “Why shall he die? What has he done?”
33 And Saul cast a spear at him, to hit him, by which Jonathan knew that his father had determined to kill David.
34 So, Jonathan arose from the table in great anger, and ate no food on the second day of the month; for he was sorry for David because his father had humiliated him.
35 The next morning, therefore, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David. And a little boy went with him.
36 And he said to his boy, “Run now! Seek the arrows which I shoot!” And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37 And when the boy had come to the place where the arrow was that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
38 And Jonathan cried after the boy, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not stand still!” And Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 Then, Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy who was with him, and said to him, “Go. Carry them into the city.”
41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of a place that was toward the South and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another, and they both wept. But David more so.
42 Therefore, Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace. That which we have sworn, both of us, in the Name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD be between me and you, and between my seed and between your seed,’ let it stand forever.”
43 And he arose and departed. And Jonathan went into the city.
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