1 Samuel 19

Modern

Literal

Saul Tries to Kill David

¹Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David.

But Jonathan delighted greatly in David,

¹And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. And Jonathan son of Saul delighted in David greatly.

²so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there.

²And Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul My father seeks to kill you. And now be on your guard, please, until the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.

³I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, so I can ask about you. And if I find out anything, I will tell you.”

³And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak about you with my father. And I will observe what it is, and I will tell you.”

⁴Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.

⁴And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works are very good toward you.

⁵He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”

⁵For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and YHWH brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced; and why would you sin against innocent blood to kill David for nothing?”

⁶Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.”

⁶And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As YHWH lives, he shall not be killed.”

⁷So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

⁷And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was before his face, as before heretofore.

⁸When war broke out again, David went out and fought the Philistines and struck them with such a mighty blow that they fled before him.

⁸And it added to be war, and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and he struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from his face.

⁹But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress^a from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp,

⁹And a spirit of distress from YHWH came upon Saul, and he sat in his house, and his spear was in his hand, and David was playing by hand.

¹⁰Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

¹⁰And Saul sought to strike David with the spear and into the wall, and he slipped away from the face of Saul, and he drove the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped in that night.

¹¹Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”

¹¹And Saul sent messengers to the house of David to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal his wife declared it to David, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”

¹²So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.

¹²And Michal let down David through a window, and he went and fled and escaped.

¹³Then Michal took a household idol^a and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment.

¹³And Michal took the teraphim and laid it in the bed, and she put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothing.

¹⁴When Saul sent the messengers to seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

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

¹⁵But Saul sent the messengers back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I can kill him.”

¹⁵And Saul sent back the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up in the bed to me, that I may kill him.”

¹⁶And when the messengers entered, there was the idol in the bed with the goat hair on its head.

¹⁶And the messengers had come in, and there was the teraphim in the bed, and a cover of goats’ hair for his head.

¹⁷And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away, and he has escaped!”

Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’”

¹⁷And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’”

¹⁸So David ran away and escaped. And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.

¹⁸And David fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.

¹⁹When Saul was told that David was at Naioth in Ramah,

¹⁹And it was declared to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is in Naioth in Ramah.”

²⁰he sent messengers to seize him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy.

²⁰And Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw the group of prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as leader over them, and the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

²¹When this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well.

So Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they began to prophesy.

²¹And was told Saul, and he sent other messengers and prophesied they likewise. And Saul added and sent messengers the third time, and prophesied they also.

²²Finally, Saul himself left for Ramah and came to the large cistern at Secu, where he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

“At Naioth in Ramah,” he was told.

²²And he went also to Ramah, and he came to the great well that is at Sechu. And he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, in Naioth in Ramah.”

²³So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. But the Spirit of God came upon even Saul, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

²³And he went there to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God was upon him, even him, and he went, going on, and he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

²⁴Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

²⁴And he also stripped off his clothes, and he prophesied in like manner before the face of Samuel, and he lay naked all that day and all the night. Upon thus they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”