¶ And Saul¹ spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

But Jonathan Saul's son delighted² much in David: and Jonathan³ told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:

And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see⁴, that I will tell thee.

And Jonathan spake good⁵ of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against⁶ his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works⁷ have been to thee-ward very good:

For he did put his life⁸ in his hand, and slew⁹ the Philistine, and the LORD wrought¹⁰ a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent¹¹ blood, to slay David without a cause¹²?

And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware¹³, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.

And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past¹⁵.

¶ And there was war again: and David¹⁶ went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him¹⁷.

¹⁸And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

¶ And Saul sought¹⁹ to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped²⁰ away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped²¹ that night.

¶ Saul also sent messengers²² unto David's house, to watch him,²³ and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.

So Michal²⁴ let David²⁵ down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.

And Michal took an image²⁶, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow²⁷ of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.

And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said²⁸, He is sick.

And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him²⁹ up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.

And when³⁰ the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.

And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast³¹ thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy³², that he is escaped? And Michal³³ answered Saul, He said³⁴ unto me, Let me go; why should³⁵ I kill thee?

¶ So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel³⁶ to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

³⁷And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.

¶ And Saul sent messengers³⁸ to take David: and when they³⁹ saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers⁴⁰ again the third time, and they prophesied also⁴¹.

Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.

And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit⁴² of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came⁴³ to Naioth in Ramah.

And he stripped⁴⁴ off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay⁴⁵ down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul⁴⁶ also among the prophets?