1 Samuel 18–23

David and Jonathan’s Friendship

18As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan ^dloved him as his own soul. ²And Saul took him that day ^eand would not let him return to his father’s house. ³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because ^dhe loved him as his own soul. ⁴And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. ⁵And David went out ^fand was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Saul’s Jealousy of David

⁶As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, ^gthe women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.^{1 7}And the women ^hsang to one another as they celebrated,

ⁱ“Saul has struck down his thousands,

and David his ten thousands.”

⁸And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but ^jthe kingdom?” ⁹And Saul eyed David from that day on.

¹⁰The next day ^ka harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^lhe raved within his house while David was ^mplaying the lyre, as he did day by day. ⁿSaul had his spear in his hand. ¹¹And Saul ^ohurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

^12pSaul was afraid of David because ^qthe Lord was with him ^rbut had departed from Saul. ¹³So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. ^sAnd he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴And David ^thad success in all his undertakings, ^qfor the Lord was with him. ¹⁵And when Saul saw that ^the had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. ^16uBut all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

¹⁷Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^vmy elder daughter Merab. ^wI will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^xand fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^ybut let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸And David said to Saul, ^z“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^aAdriel the ^bMeholathite for a wife.

²⁰Now ^vSaul’s daughter Michal ^cloved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^dbe a snare for him ^eand that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^{2 f}“You shall now be my son-in-law.” ²²And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.’ ” ²³And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^g“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” ²⁴And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” ²⁵Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no ^hbride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ⁱthat he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’ ” ^jNow Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. ^kBefore the time had expired, ²⁷David arose and went, ^lalong with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. ^mAnd David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. ²⁸But when Saul saw and knew that ⁿthe Lord was with David, ^oand that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, ²⁹Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.

^30pThen the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out ^qDavid had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Saul Tries to Kill David

19And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. ^rBut Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. ²And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³And 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.” ⁴And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king ^ssin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. ⁵For ^the took his life in his hand ^uand he struck down the Philistine, ^vand the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against ^winnocent blood by killing David without cause?” ⁶And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, ^x“As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence ^yas before.

⁸And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. ^9zThen a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. ^aAnd David was playing the lyre. ^10bAnd 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 that night.

^11cSaul 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 escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” ^12dSo Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. ¹³Michal took ^ean image¹ and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” ¹⁵Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” ¹⁶And when the messengers came in, behold, ^ethe image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. ¹⁷Saul 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. ^fWhy should I kill you?’ ”

¹⁸Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at ^gRamah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. ¹⁹And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, ^hthe Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, ⁱand they also prophesied. ²¹When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, ⁱand they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, ⁱand they also prophesied. ²²Then 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 Naioth in ^gRamah.” ²³And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. ^jAnd the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ^24kAnd he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, ^l“Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Jonathan Warns David

20Then David fled from Naioth ^min Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” ²And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” ³But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that ⁿI have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, ^oas the Lord lives and ^pas your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” ⁴Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” ⁵David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is ^qthe new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, ^rthat I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. ^6sIf your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run ^tto Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly ^usacrifice there for all the clan.’ ⁷If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that ^vharm is determined by him. ⁸Therefore deal kindly with your servant, ^wfor you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. ^xBut if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” ⁹And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that ^vit was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” ¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” ¹¹And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

¹²And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness!¹ When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? ¹³But should it please my…