1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants,
that they should kill David.
2 But
Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying,
Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to
thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:
3 And
I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and
what I see, that I will tell thee.
4 And
Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not
the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned
against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
5 For
he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought
a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore
then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
6 And
Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the
LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
7 And
Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan
brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.
8 And
there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and
slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.
9 And
the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his
javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10 And
Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped
away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David
fled, and escaped that night.
11 Saul
also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the
morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to
night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.
12 So
Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
13 And
Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for
his bolster, 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 again to see David, saying, Bring him up to
me in the bed, that I may slay him.
16 And
when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of
goats' hair for
his bolster.
17 And
Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy,
that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why
should I kill thee?
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 And
it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And
Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the
prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God
was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And
when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise.
And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
22 Then
went he also 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, they be at
Naioth in Ramah.
23 And
he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also,
and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And
he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner,
and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul
also among the prophets?
