[1] And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they
should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. [2]
And Jonathan told David, "Saul my father seeks to kill you; therefore take
heed to yourself in the morning, stay in a secret place and hide yourself;
[3] and 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." [4] And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father,
and said to him, "Let not the king sin against his servant David; because
he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good
service to you; [5] for he took his life in his hand and he slew the
Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great victory for all Israel. You saw
it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing
David without cause?" [6] And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; Saul
swore, "As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death." [7] And Jonathan
called David, and Jonathan showed him all these things. And Jonathan
brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. [8] And there
was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and made
a great slaughter among them, so that they fled before him. [9] Then an
evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his
spear in his hand; and David was playing the lyre. [10] And 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. [11] That night 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 save your
life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed." [12] So Michal let David down
through the window; and he fled away and escaped. [13] Michal took an image
and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and
covered it with the clothes. [14] And when Saul sent messengers to take
David, she said, "He is sick." [15] Then Saul sent the messengers to see
David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him." [16]
And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the
pillow of goats' hair at its head. [17] Saul 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; why should I kill you?'" [18]
Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him
all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt at Nai'oth.
[19] And it was told Saul, "Behold, David is at Nai'oth in Ramah." [20]
Then Saul sent messengers to take David; and when they saw the company of
the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit
of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. [21]
When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied.
And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
[22] Then 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 Nai'oth in Ramah." [23] And he went from there to Nai'oth in
Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he
prophesied, until he came to Nai'oth in Ramah. [24] And he too stripped off
his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and lay naked all that
day and all that night. Hence it is said, "Is Saul also among the
prophets?"
