1 Samuel 19
19
Saul Tries to Kill David
1Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, 2told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. 3I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”
4The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. 5Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”
6So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”
7Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.
8War broke out again after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away.
9But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit#19:9 Or evil spirit. from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, 10Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.
Michal Saves David’s Life
11Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.” 12So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped. 13Then she took an idol#19:13 Hebrew teraphim; also in 19:16. and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.
14When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed.
15But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” 16But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.
17“Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal.
“I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.”
18So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. 19When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, 20he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel leading a group of prophets who were prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy. 21When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time. 22Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he demanded.
“They are at Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him.
23But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth! 24He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”
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1 Samuel 19: NLT
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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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