1 Samuel 19
19
Saul Tries to Kill David
1And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. #ch. 18:1But 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 #[Gen. 42:22]sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5For #ch. 28:21; Judg. 12:3; [Judg. 9:17] he took his life in his hand #ch. 17:49, 50 and he struck down the Philistine, #[ch. 11:13; 1 Chr. 11:14] and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against #Matt. 27:4innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, #See Ruth 3:13“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 #ch. 16:21; 18:2, 13as 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#See ch. 16:14 Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. #See ch. 16:16And David was playing the lyre. 10#ch. 18:11; 20:33And 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 # See Ps. 59 Saul 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#[Josh. 2:15; Acts 9:24, 25]; 2 Cor. 11:33So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13Michal took #See Gen. 31:19an image#19:13 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, #[See ver. 13 above]the 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. #[2 Sam. 2:22]Why should I kill you?’”
18Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at #ch. 1:19Ramah 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, #[ch. 10:5, 6, 10] the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, #[Num. 11:25; Joel 2:28]and they also prophesied. 21When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, #[See ver. 20 above]and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, #[See ver. 20 above]and 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 #[See ver. 18 above]Ramah.” 23And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. #[ch. 18:10]And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24#Isa. 20:2; Mic. 1:8; [2 Sam. 6:20] And 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, #ch. 10:11, 12“Is Saul also among the prophets?”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Samuel 19
19
Saul’s Plan to Kill David
1Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officers to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan was very fond of David, 2so he reported to David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you. Please be careful tomorrow morning. Go into hiding, and stay out of sight. 3I’ll go out and stand beside my father in the field where you’ll be. I’ll speak with my father about you. If I find out anything, I’ll tell you.”
4So Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. “You should not commit a sin against your servant David,” he said. “He hasn’t sinned against you. Instead, he has done some very fine things for you: 5He risked his life and killed the Philistine Goliath, and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you rejoiced. Why then should you sin by shedding David’s innocent blood for no reason?”
6Saul listened to Jonathan, and he promised, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, he will not be killed.” 7Jonathan told David all of this. Then Jonathan took David to Saul. So David was returned to his former status in Saul’s court.
Saul Tries to Kill David
8When war broke out again, David went to fight the Philistines. He defeated them so decisively that they fled from him. 9Then an evil spirit from the Lord came over Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was strumming a tune. 10Saul tried to nail David to the wall with his spear. But David dodged it, and Saul’s spear struck the wall. David fled, escaping ⌞from Saul⌟ that night.
11Saul sent messengers to watch David’s house and kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, advised him, “If you don’t save yourself tonight, you’ll be dead tomorrow!” 12So Michal lowered David through a window, and he ran away to escape. 13Then Michal took some idols, laid them in the bed, put a goat-hair blanket at its head, and covered the idols with a garment.
14When Saul sent messengers to get David, Michal said, “He’s sick.” 15Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David themselves. Saul told them, “Bring him here to me in his bed so that I can kill him.” 16The messengers came, and there in the bed were the idols with the goat-hair blanket at its head.
17Saul asked Michal, “Why did you betray me by sending my enemy away so that he could escape?”
Michal answered, “He told me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’ ”
18David escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah. He told Samuel everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to the pastures and lived there.
19When it was reported to Saul that David was in the pastures at Ramah, 20Saul sent messengers to get David. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel serving as their leader, God’s Spirit came over Saul’s messengers so that they also prophesied. 21When they told Saul ⌞about this⌟, he sent other messengers, but they also prophesied. Saul even sent a third group of messengers, but they also prophesied. 22Then he went to Ramah himself. He went as far as the big cistern in Secu and asked ⌞the people⌟, “Where are Samuel and David?”
He was told, “Over there in the pastures at Ramah.” 23As he went toward the pastures at Ramah, God’s Spirit came over him too. He continued his journey, prophesying until he came to the pastures at Ramah. 24He even took off his clothes as he prophesied in front of Samuel and lay there naked all day and all night. This is where the saying, “Is Saul one of the prophets?” came from.
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