1 Samuel 18–23

David’s Success

18When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan committed himself to David, and loved him as much as he loved himself. ^f2Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father’s house.

³Jonathan made a covenant with David ^gbecause he loved him as much as himself. ⁴Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, ^halong with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

⁵David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the soldiers, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.

⁶As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, ⁱsinging and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. ⁷As they celebrated, the women sang:

Saul has killed his thousands,

but David his tens of thousands. ^j

⁸Saul was furious and resented this song. ^k“They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” ^l9So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

Saul Attempts to Kill David

¹⁰The next day an evil spirit sent from God took control of Saul, ^mand he began to rave ⁿinside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual, ^obut Saul was holding a spear, ^p11and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” ^qBut David got away from him twice.

¹²Saul was afraid of David, ^rbecause the Lord was with David ^sbut had left Saul. ^t13Therefore, Saul reassigned David and made him commander over 1,000 men. David led the troops ^u14and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him. ^v15When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David ^wbecause he was leading their troops. ¹⁷Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife, ^xif you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” ^yBut Saul was thinking, “My hand doesn’t need to be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ^z

¹⁸Then David responded, “Who am I, ^aand what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” ¹⁹When it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. ^b

David’s Marriage to Michal

²⁰Now Saul’s daughter Michal ^cloved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him. ^d21“I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him.” ^eSo Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.” ^f

²²Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Therefore, you should become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”

²³Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David, ^gbut he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor man who is common.” ^h

²⁴The servants reported back to Saul, “These are the words David spoke.”

²⁵Then Saul replied, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price ⁱexcept 100 Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’ ” ^jActually, Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines. ^k

²⁶When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased ^lto become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived, ^m27David and his men went out and killed 200 ⁿPhilistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as full payment to the king to become his son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David as his wife. ^o28Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.

³⁰Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight, ^pDavid was more successful than all of Saul’s officers. ^qSo his name became well known.

David Delivered from Saul

19Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. ^rBut Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much, ^s2so he told him: “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning and hide in a secret place and stay there. ³I’ll go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are and talk to him about you. When I see what he says, I’ll tell you.” ^t

⁴Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. He said to him: “The king should not sin against his servant David. ^uHe hasn’t sinned against you; in fact, his actions have been a great advantage to you. ⁵He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, ^vand the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. ^wYou saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?” ^x

⁶Saul listened to Jonathan’s advice and swore an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.” ⁷So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he did before. ^y

⁸When war broke out again, David went out and fought against the Philistines. He defeated them with such a great force that they fled from him.

⁹Now an evil spirit sent from the Lord ^zcame on Saul as he was sitting in his palace holding a spear. ^aDavid was playing the lyre, ^b10and Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear. ^cAs the spear struck the wall, David eluded Saul, ran away, and escaped that night. ¹¹Saul sent agents to David’s house to watch for him and kill him in the morning. ^dBut his wife Michal ^ewarned David, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead tomorrow!” ¹²So she lowered David from the window, and he fled and escaped. ^f13Then Michal took the household idol and put it on the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment. ¹⁴When Saul sent agents to seize David, Michal said, “He’s sick.” ^g

¹⁵Saul sent the agents back to see David and said, “Bring him on his bed so I can kill him.” ¹⁶When the messengers arrived, to their surprise, the household idol was on the bed with some goat hair on its head.

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

She answered him, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’ ”

¹⁸So David fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah ^hand told him everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel left and stayed at Naioth. ⁱ

¹⁹When it was reported to Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, ²⁰he sent agents to seize David. ^jHowever, when they saw the group of prophets prophesying ^kwith Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s agents, and they also started prophesying. ²¹When they reported to Saul, he sent other agents, and they also began prophesying. ^lSo Saul tried again and sent a third group of agents, and even they began prophesying. ²²Then Saul himself went to Ramah. He came to the large cistern at Secu, looked around, and asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

“At Naioth in Ramah,” someone said.

²³So he went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God also came on him, ^mand as he walked along, he prophesied until he entered Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴Saul then removed his clothes and also prophesied before Samuel; he collapsed and lay naked ⁿall that day and all that night. That is why they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” ^o

Jonathan Protects David

20David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? ^pWhat did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life?”

²Jonathan said to him, “No, you won’t die. Listen, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without telling me. ^qSo why would he hide this matter from me? This can’t be true.”

³But David said, “Your father certainly knows that you have come to look favorably on me. He has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.’ ” David also swore, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.” ^r

⁴Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

⁵So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, ^sand I’m supposed to sit down and eat with the king. ^tInstead, let me go, and I’ll hide in the field until the third night. ^u6If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David urgently requested my permission to quickly go to his town Bethlehem ^vfor an annual sacrifice ^wthere involving the whole clan.’ ⁷If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he becomes angry, you will know he has evil intentions. ⁸Deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the Lord. ^xIf I have done anything wrong, ^ythen kill me yourself; why take me to your father?”

⁹“No!” Jonathan responded. “If I ever find out my father has evil intentions against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”

¹⁰So David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

¹¹He answered David, “Come on, let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field. ¹²“By the Lord, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If I find out that he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you? ^z13If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely ^aif I do not tell you ^band send you away so you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you, ^cjust as He was with my father. ¹⁴If I continue to live, treat me with the Lord’s faithful love, but if I die, ¹⁵don’t ever withdraw your faithful love from my household—not even when the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” ^d16Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, ^esaying, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies…