1 Samuel 19

Saul Tries to Kill David

1And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. aBut Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. 2And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” 4And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king bsin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5For che took his life in his hand dand he struck down the Philistine, eand the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against finnocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, g“As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence has before.

8And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9 iThen a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. jAnd David was playing the lyre. 10 kAnd Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

11 lSaul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 mSo Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13Michal took nan image
Or a household god
and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.
14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16And when the messengers came in, behold, pthe image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. 17Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. qWhy should I kill you?’”

18Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at rRamah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, sthe Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, tand they also prophesied. 21When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, uand they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, vand they also prophesied. 22Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in wRamah.” 23And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. xAnd the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 yAnd he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, z“Is Saul also among the prophets?”

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