1 Samuel 19
19
Saul Repeatedly Attempts to Take David’s Life
1 Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much.#tn Heb “delighted greatly in David.” 2 So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying#tn Heb “seeking.” to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find#tn Heb “stay in.” a hiding place and stay in seclusion.#tn Heb “and hide yourself.” 3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak about you to my father. When I find out what the problem is,#tn Heb “when I see.” I will let you know.”
4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf#tn Heb “spoke good with respect to David.” to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial#tn Heb “good.” for you. 5 He risked his life#tn Heb “and he put his life into his hand.” when he struck down the Philistine and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?”
6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice#tn Heb “and Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan.” and took an oath, “As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.” 7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly.#tn Heb “and he was before him as before.”
8 Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly#tn Heb “and he struck them down with a great blow.” and they ran away from him. 9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon#tn Heb “[was] to.” Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre.#tn The Hebrew text adds here “with his hand.” 10 Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence and the spear drove into the wall.#tn Heb “and he drove the spear into the wall.” David escaped quickly#tn Heb “fled and escaped.” that night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard it and to kill him in the morning. Then David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save yourself#tn Heb “your life.” tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” 12 So Michal lowered David through the window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 Then Michal took a household idol#tn Heb “teraphim” (also a second time in this verse and once in v. 16). These were statues that represented various deities. According to 2 Kgs 23:24 they were prohibited during the time of Josiah’s reform movement in the seventh century. The idol Michal placed under the covers was of sufficient size to give the mistaken impression that David lay in the bed, thus facilitating his escape. and put it on the bed. She put a quilt#tn The exact meaning of the Hebrew word כָּבִיר (kavir) is uncertain; it is found in the Hebrew Bible only here and in v. 16. It probably refers to a quilt made of goat’s hair, perhaps used as a fly net while one slept. See HALOT 458 s.v. *כָּבִיר. Cf. KJV, TEV “pillow”; NLT “cushion”; NAB, NRSV “net.” made of goat’s hair over its head#tn Heb “at the place of its head.” and then covered the idol with a garment. 14 When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, “He’s sick.”
15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed so I can kill him.” 16 When the messengers came, they found only the idol on the bed and the quilt made of goat’s hair at its head.
17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me this way by sending my enemy away? Now he has escaped!” Michal replied to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away or else I will kill you!’”#tn Heb “Send me away! Why should I kill you?” The question has the force of a threat in this context. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 325, 26.
18 Now David had run away and escaped. He went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything 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.” 20 So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw a company of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. 21 When it was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they prophesied too. So Saul sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied. 22 Finally Saul#tn Heb “he” (also in v. 23). the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity. himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the large cistern that is in Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” They said, “At Naioth in Ramah.”
23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him as well, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He even stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay there#tn Heb “and he fell down.” naked all that day and night. (For that reason it is asked, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”)
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1 Samuel 19
19
Jonathan Intercedes for David
1Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants about killing David, but Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much.#Literally “delighted in David very” 2So Jonathan informed David, saying, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; now please take care! In the morning you should stay in the hiding place and conceal yourself. 3I will go out and stand at my father’s side#Literally “at the hand of my father” in the field where you are, and I will speak about you to my father; if I find out anything#Literally “if I see and what?” I will tell it to you.” 4So Jonathan spoke well about David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his service for you has been very good. 5He put his life in his hand and attacked the Philistine, and Yahweh brought about a great victory for all of Israel, and you saw it and rejoiced! Now why should you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore, “As Yahweh lives,#Literally “the life of Yahweh” he will not be put to death!” 7Jonathan called to David and told him all of these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul and he was before him as formerly.#Literally “yesterday three days ago”
David Has to Flee Again
8War came again, so David went out and fought against the Philistines and defeated them thoroughly#Literally “he struck them down with a great blow” so that they fled before him. 9Then the evil spirit from Yahweh came upon Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing a stringed instrument in his hand. 10So Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear,#Literally “to strike with the spear on David and to the wall” but he eluded Saul,#Literally “he escaped from the presence of Saul” so that he struck the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped that same night.
11Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard him and to kill him in the morning, but Michal his wife told David, saying, “If you do not save your life#Literally “you are not saving your life” tonight, then tomorrow you will be killed!” 12So Michal lowered David through the window, and he went and fled and escaped. 13Then Michal took the household god#Hebrew teraphim and put it on the bed and put a quilt of goat’s hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14And Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, “He is ill.” 15So Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, so that I can kill him.” 16When the messengers came, to their surprise#Literally “and look” the idol was on the bed with the quilt of goat’s hair at the head. 17Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and sent away my enemy, so that he escaped?” Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go, why should I kill you?’ ”
18So David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. 19And it was told to Saul, “David is in Naioth in Ramah.” 20So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as chief over them, then the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. 21So they told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Again Saul sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied. 22Then he also went to Ramah. When he came to the great cistern which was in Secu, he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” Someone said, “Look they are in Naioth in Ramah.” 23So he went there to Naioth in Ramah and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he walked along prophesying#Literally “he went going and he prophesied” until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24He also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
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