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 Plans to Kill David
1Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan cared very much for David. 2So he warned David, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Watch out in the morning. Hide in a secret place. 3I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are hiding. I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll let you know what I find out.”
4Jonathan talked to Saul his father. He said good things about David. Jonathan said, “You are the king. Don’t do wrong to your servant David. He did nothing wrong to you. What he did has helped you greatly. 5David risked his life when he killed Goliath the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and you were happy. Why would you do wrong against David? He’s innocent. There’s no reason to kill him!”
6Saul listened to Jonathan. Then he made this promise: “As surely as the Lord lives, David won’t be put to death.”
7So Jonathan called to David. He told David everything that had been said. And he brought David to Saul. So David was with Saul as before.
8When war broke out again, David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them, and they ran away from him.
9But once again an evil spirit from the Lord entered Saul. He was sitting in his house, and he had his spear in his hand. David was playing the harp. 10Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear. But David moved away from him. So Saul’s spear went into the wall. And David ran away that night.
11Saul sent men to David’s house. They watched it, wanting to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him. She said, “Tonight you must run away to save your own life. If you don’t, you will be killed tomorrow morning.” 12Then she let David down out of a window. So he ran away and escaped. 13Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed. She covered it with clothes and put goats’ hair at its head.
14Saul sent messengers to take David prisoner. But Michal said, “He is sick.”
15The men went and told Saul, but he sent them back to see David. He told them, “Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him.”
16But when the messengers entered David’s house, they found it was just an idol on the bed. Its hair was goats’ hair.
17Saul said to Michal, “Why did you trick me this way? You let my enemy go. He has run away!”
Michal answered Saul, “David told me if I did not help him escape, he would kill me.”
18After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel at Ramah. He told Samuel everything Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. 19Saul heard that David was in Naioth at Ramah. 20So he sent men to capture him. But they met a group of prophets prophesying. Samuel was leading this group and was standing there. The Spirit of God entered Saul’s men, and they also prophesied.
21Saul heard the news. So he sent other men, but they also prophesied. Then he sent men a third time, but they also prophesied. 22Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah. He came to the well at Secu. He asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”
The people answered, “In Naioth at Ramah.”
23Then Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God also entered him. And he walked on, prophesying until he came to Naioth at Ramah. 24He took off his robes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay that way all day and all night. That is why people ask, “Is even Saul one of the prophets?”
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