1 Saul spoke to his son Jonathan and all his servants about putting David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David. 2 Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is seeking to put you to death. Be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide. 3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak to my father about you, and when I find out anything, I will tell you.”

4 Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “Let the king not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you, and his deeds have been very good for you. 5 He took his life in his hand and struck down the Philistine, and the LORD brought great deliverance to all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without cause?” 6 Saul listened to Jonathan’s voice and swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 Jonathan called David and told him all these words. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

8 There was war again. David went out, fought the Philistines, and struck them with a great blow, and they fled before him. 9 An evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing with his hand. 10 Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul, and the spear struck the wall. David fled and escaped that night.

11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.” 12 Michal let David down through the window, and he went away, fled, and escaped. 13 Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed. She put a goat-hair covering at its head and covered it with a garment.

14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”

15 Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, so that I may put him to death.” 16 When the messengers came in, there was the household idol on the bed, with the goat-hair covering at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and sent my enemy away, so that he escaped?” Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’ ” 18 David fled and escaped. He came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. 19 Saul was told, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Saul sent messengers to take David. When they saw the band of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing over them, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they too prophesied. 21 They told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they too prophesied. Saul sent messengers a third time, and they too prophesied. 22 He himself went to Ramah and came to the great cistern at Secu. He asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” Someone said, “They are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 He went there toward Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him too. He went along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He too stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that night. That is why they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”