Study Desk

Saul's Growing Fear of David

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan^(a) became one in spirit with David, and he loved^(b) him as himself.^(c)

From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family.

And Jonathan made a covenant^(d) with David because he loved him as himself.

Jonathan took off the robe^(e) he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.^(f)

Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful^(g) that Saul gave him a high rank in the army.^(h) This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well.

When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing,⁽ⁱ⁾ with joyful songs and with timbrels^(j) and lyres.

As they danced, they sang:^(k) "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens^(l) of thousands."

Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?^(m)"

And from that time on Saul kept a close⁽ⁿ⁾ eye on David.

The next day an evil^[a] spirit^(o) from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre,^(p) as he usually^(q) did. Saul had a spear^(r) in his hand

and he hurled it, saying to himself,^(s) "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded^(t) him twice.^(u)

Saul was afraid^(v) of David, because the Lord ^(w) was with^(x) David but had departed from^(y) Saul.

So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led^(z) the troops in their campaigns.^(aa)

In everything he did he had great success,^(ab) because the Lord was with^(ac) him.

When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.

But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.^(ad)

Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter^(ae) Merab. I will give her to you in marriage;^(af) only serve me bravely and fight the battles^(ag) of the Lord ." For Saul said to himself,^(ah) "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"

But David said to Saul, "Who am I,^(ai) and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?^(aj)"

So^[b] when the time came for Merab,^(ak) Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.^(al)

Now Saul's daughter Michal^(am) was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.^(an)

"I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare^(ao) to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."

Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.'"

They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law?^(ap) I'm only a poor man and little known."

When Saul's servants told him what David had said,

Saul replied, "Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price^(aq) for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge^(ar) on his enemies.'" Saul's plan^(as) was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed,

David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal^(at) in marriage.

When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal^(au) loved David,

Saul became still more afraid^(av) of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success^(aw) than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.

Saul Tries to Kill David

Saul told his son Jonathan^(a) and all the attendants to kill^(b) David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David

and warned him, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding^(c) and stay there.

I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak^(d) to him about you and will tell you what I find out."

Jonathan spoke^(e) well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not the king do wrong^(f) to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly.

He took his life^(g) in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory^(h) for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent⁽ⁱ⁾ man like David by killing him for no reason?"

Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death."

So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.^(j)

Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

But an evil^[a] spirit^(k) from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre,^(l)

Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded^(m) him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

Saul sent men to David's house to watch⁽ⁿ⁾ it and to kill him in the morning.^(o) But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed."

So Michal let David down through a window,^(p) and he fled and escaped.

Then Michal took an idol^(q) and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats' hair at the head.

When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said,^(r) "He is ill."

Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him."

But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats' hair.

Saul said to Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?" Michal told him, "He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?'"

When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah^(s) and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.

Word came to Saul: "David is in Naioth at Ramah";

so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets^(t) prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on^(u) Saul's men, and they also prophesied.^(v)

Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied.

Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" "Over in Naioth at Ramah," they said.

So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying^(w) until he came to Naioth.

He stripped^(x) off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel's^(y) presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"^(z)

David and Jonathan

Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged^(a) your father, that he is trying to kill me?"^(b)

"Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't so!"

But David took an oath^(c) and said, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death."

Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you."

So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast,^(d) and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide^(e) in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.

If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission^(f) to hurry to Bethlehem,^(g) his hometown, because an annual^(h) sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.'

If he says, ‘Very well,' then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper,⁽ⁱ⁾ you can be sure that he is determined^(j) to harm me.

As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant^(k) with you before the Lord . If I am guilty, then kill^(l) me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?"

"Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"

David asked, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

"Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together.

Then Jonathan said to David, "I swear by the Lord , the God of Israel, that I will surely sound^(m) out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know?

But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely,⁽ⁿ⁾ if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with^(o) you as he has been with my father.

But show me unfailing kindness^(p) like the Lord 's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,

and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family^(q)—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."

So Jonathan^(r) made a covenant^(s) with the house of David, saying, "May the Lord call David's enemies to account.^(t)"

And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath^(u) out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.^(v)

The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid^(w) when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.

I will shoot three arrows^(x) to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.

Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger.

But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond^(y) you,' then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away.

And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness^(z) between you and me forever."

So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast^(aa) came, the king sat down to eat.

He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan,^[a] and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.^(ab)

Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.^(ac)"

But the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

Jonathan answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission^(ad) to go to Bethlehem.

He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice^(ae) in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table."

Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?

As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom^(af) will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!"

"Why^(ag) should he be put to death? What^(ah) has he done?" Jonathan asked his father.

But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended^(ai) to kill David.

Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David.

In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him,

and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow beyond^(aj) you?"

Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.

(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.)

Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town."

After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground.^(ak) Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.

Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace,^(al) for we have sworn friendship^(am) with each other in the name of the Lord ,^(an) saying, ‘The Lord is witness^(ao) between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.^(ap)'" Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.^[b]