1 Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants A1 Sam 18:8, 9to put David to death. But B1 Sam 18:1-3Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. 2 So Jonathan told David saying, “Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3  “I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; A1 Sam 20:9, 13if I 1Lit seefind out anything, then I will tell you.” 4 Then Jonathan A1 Sam 20:32; Prov 31:8, 9spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “BGen 42:22; Prov 17:13; Jer 18:20Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very 1Lit goodbeneficial to you. 5  “For AJudg 9:17; 1 Sam 17:49, 50; 28:21; Ps 119:109he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and B1 Sam 11:13; 1 Chr 11:14the Loʀᴅ brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. CDeut 19:10-13; 1 Sam 20:32; Ps 94:21; Matt 27:4Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?” 6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Loʀᴅ lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as A1 Sam 16:21; 18:2, 10, 13formerly.

8 When there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines and 1Lit smotedefeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled before him. 9 Now there was A1 Sam 16:14; 18:10, 11an evil spirit from the Loʀᴅ on Saul as he was sitting in his house B1 Sam 18:10with his spear in his hand, C1 Sam 16:16and David was playing the harp with his hand. 10 A1 Sam 18:11; 20:33; Prov 1:16Saul tried to 1Lit strike David and the wallpin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he 2Lit struckstuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

11 Then AJudg 16:2; Ps 59: titleSaul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.” 12 AJosh 2:15; Acts 9:25; 2 Cor 11:33So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped. 13 Michal took AGen 31:19; Judg 18:14, 17the 1Heb teraphimhousehold idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “AJosh 2:5He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on 1Lit thehis bed, that I may put him to death.” 16 When the messengers entered, behold, the 1Heb teraphimhousehold idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair at its head. 17 So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! A2 Sam 2:22Why should I put you to death?’ ”

18 Now David fled and escaped and came A1 Sam 7:17to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in B1 Sam 19:22, 23Naioth. 19 It was told Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then A1 Sam 19:11, 14; John 7:32Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw B1 Sam 10:5, 6, 10the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and CNum 11:25; Joel 2:28they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 He 1Lit wentproceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; and A1 Sam 10:10the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and 1Lit felllay down 2I.e. without outward garmentsA2 Sam 6:20; Is 20:2; Mic 1:8naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “B1 Sam 10:10-12Is Saul also among the prophets?”