1 Samuel 19–20

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 accountable.” ^fg17Jonathan once again swore to David ^hin his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. ⁱ

¹⁸Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; ^jyou’ll be missed because your seat will be empty. ¹⁹The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel. ²⁰I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I’m aiming at a target. ²¹Then I will send the young man and say, ‘Go and find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you—get them,’ then come, because as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem. ²²But if I say this to the youth: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you!’ ^kthen go, for the Lord is sending you away. ²³As for the matter you and I have spoken about, ^lthe Lord will be a witness ^mbetween you and me forever.” ⁿ²⁴So David hid in the field.

At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal. ²⁵He sat at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him ^oand Abner took his place beside Saul, but David’s place was empty. ^p26Saul did not say anything that day because he thought, “Something unexpected has happened; he must be ceremonially unclean—yes, that’s it, he is unclean.” ^q

²⁷However, the day after the New Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal either yesterday or today?”

²⁸Jonathan answered, “David asked for my permission to go to Bethlehem. ^r29He said, ‘Please let me go because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if you are pleased with me, let me go so I can see my brothers.’ That’s why he didn’t come to the king’s table.”

³⁰Then Saul became angry with Jonathan and shouted, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you are siding with Jesse’s son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother? ^s31Every day Jesse’s son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me—he deserves to die.” ^t

³²Jonathan answered his father back: “Why is he to be killed? What has he done?” ^u

³³Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, ^vso he knew that his father was determined to kill David. ^w34He got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

³⁵In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointed meeting with David. A small young man was with him. ³⁶He said to the young man, “Run and find the arrows I’m shooting.” ^xAs the young man ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, “The arrow is beyond you, isn’t it?” ^y38Then Jonathan called to him, “Hurry up and don’t stop!” Jonathan’s young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master. ³⁹He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. ⁴⁰Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”

⁴¹When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. ^zThen he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more. ^a

⁴²Jonathan then said to David, “Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the Lord when we said: The Lord will be a witness between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever.” ^bcThen David left, and Jonathan went into the city.