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David Protected from Saul

¹ Now Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to ^(C1)kill David, but ^(C2)Jonathan, Saul's son, greatly delighted in David.² So he told David, "Saul my father is seeking to kill you. Now then, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.³ "As for me, I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you, and ^(C1)if I learn anything, then I will tell you."⁴ Then Jonathan ^(C1)spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "^(C2)May the king not sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you.⁵ "For ^(C1)he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine, and ^(C2)the LORD brought about a great victory for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. ^(C3)Why then would you sin against innocent blood by killing David without a cause?"⁶ Saul listened to Jonathan and swore an oath, "As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death."⁷ So Jonathan called David and told him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was ^(F1)in his presence serving him as ^(C1)previously.

⁸ Then there was war again, and David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled before him.⁹ Then ^(C1)an evil spirit from the LORD came on Saul as he was sitting in his house ^(C2)with his spear in his hand, and ^(C3)David was playing the harp with his hand.^10 (C1)Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul's presence, so that Saul only stuck the spear into the wall. Then David fled and escaped that night.

^11 (C1)Then Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch for him, so 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 (C1)So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled and escaped.¹³ And Michal took ^(C1)the ^(F1)household idol and laid it on the bed, put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with clothes.¹⁴ And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "^(C1)He is sick."¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me on his bed if necessary, so that I may kill him."¹⁶ When the messengers came in, there was the ^(F1)household idol on the bed with a quilt of goats' hair at its head.¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?" Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go! ^(C1)Why should I kill you?'"

¹⁸ So David fled and escaped and came ^(C1)to Samuel at Ramah, and told him everything that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in ^(C2)Naioth.¹⁹ Saul was told, "David is at Naioth in Ramah."²⁰ Then ^(C1)Saul sent messengers to take David; but when they saw ^(C2)the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul; and ^(C3)they also prophesied.²¹ When Saul was informed, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again, the third time, and they prophesied as well.²² Then Saul went to Ramah himself and came to the great well that is in Secu; and he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" And he was told, "They are at Naioth with the prophets in Ramah."²³ So he went on to Naioth in Ramah; and ^(C1)the Spirit of God came upon him too, and he went along continually prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.²⁴ He also took off his royal robes and armor and prophesied before Samuel and lay down ^(C1)naked all that day and night. So they say, "^(C2)Is Saul also among the prophets?" ^(VR1)