1 Samuel 18–23

The Friendship of David and Jonathan

18When^a he finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan became attached to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ²Saul took him on that very day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. ³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴Jonathan stripped off the robe that he was wearing^b and gave it to David, along with his fighting attire,^c and even his sword, his bow, and his belt.

David’s Successes Arouse Saul’s Suspicions

⁵David went out whenever^d Saul sent him, and he succeeded. So Saul appointed him over the men of the war, and it pleased^e all the people and even pleased^f the servants of Saul. ⁶When they were coming back^g after David had returned from striking down the Philistine, the women went out from all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments. ⁷And the women sang as they danced, and they said,

“Saul has struck down his thousands,

but David his ten thousands!”

⁸Saul became very angry,^h and this saying displeased him,ⁱ and he thought, “They have attributed to David ten thousands, but to me they have attributed thousands! What more can he have but the kingdom?”^{j 9}So Saul was watching^k David with suspicion from that day onward.

¹⁰On^l the next day, the evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. Now David was playing the lyre with his hand on that day as usual,^m and the spear was in Saul’s hand. ¹¹Then Saul hurled the spear and thought, “I will pin David to the wall.”ⁿ But David eluded him twice. ¹²Now Saul was threatened by the presence of David^o because Yahweh was with him, but had departed from Saul. ¹³So Saul removed him from his presence,^p and made him commander of a thousand, so he^q marched in and out at the front of the army.^{r 14}And David was achieving success in all his ways and Yahweh was with him, ¹⁵but when Saul saw that he was very successful, he was severely threatened by him.^{s 16}However, all of Israel and Judah were loving David, for he was going forth and marching ahead of them.

David Marries Saul’s Daughter Michal

¹⁷Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife. Only be a brave warrior^t for me and fight the battles of Yahweh.” For Saul thought, “My hand will not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, the clan of my father in Israel, that I should be a son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹But^u at the time Saul’s daughter Merab was to be given to David, she was given instead to Adriel the Meholathite as wife.

²⁰Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, so they told Saul, and the matter pleased him.^{v 21}And Saul thought, “I will give her to him, so that she may be a snare for him and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time you can become my son-in-law today.” ²²Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in secret, saying, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. So then, become a son-in-law of the king.’ ” ²³And Saul’s servants spoke these words to David privately.^w But David said, “Is it insignificant in your sight^x to become the son-in-law of the king, as I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” ²⁴So the servants of Saul informed him, saying, “This is what David said.”^{y 25}Then Saul said, “This is what you must say to David: ‘The king desires no bride price^z except for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to avenge himself on the enemies of the king.’ ” (Now Saul had planned to allow David to fall by the hand of the Philistines.) ²⁶So his servants told David these words, and the matter pleased David^a to become the son-in-law of the king as the specified time had not expired.^b

²⁷And David got up, and he and his men went and struck down two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they presented the full number^c to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as his wife. ²⁸When Saul realized^d that Yahweh was with David and his own daughter Michal^e loved him, ²⁹Saul was threatened by David still more,^f so Saul became a perpetual enemy of David.^{g 30}Then the commanders of the Philistines went out for battle, and as often as they went out, David succeeded more than all the servants of Saul, and his name became very esteemed.

Jonathan Intercedes for David

19Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants about killing David, but Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much.^{a 2}So Jonathan informed David, saying, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; now please take care! In the morning you should stay in the hiding place and conceal yourself. ³I will go out and stand at my father’s side^b in the field where you are, and I will speak about you to my father; if I find out anything^c I will tell it to you.” ⁴So Jonathan spoke well about David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his service for you has been very good. ⁵He put his life in his hand and attacked the Philistine, and Yahweh brought about a great victory for all of Israel, and you saw it and rejoiced! Now why should you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” ⁶And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore, “As Yahweh lives,^d he will not be put to death!” ⁷Jonathan called to David and told him all of these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul and he was before him as formerly.^e

David Has to Flee Again

⁸War came again, so David went out and fought against the Philistines and defeated them thoroughly^f so that they fled before him. ⁹Then the evil spirit from Yahweh came upon Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing a stringed instrument in his hand. ¹⁰So Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear,^g but he eluded Saul,^h so that he struck the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped that same night.

¹¹Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard him and to kill him in the morning, but Michal his wife told David, saying, “If you do not save your lifeⁱ tonight, then tomorrow you will be killed!” ¹²So Michal lowered David through the window, and he went and fled and escaped. ¹³Then Michal took the household god^j and put it on the bed and put a quilt of goat’s hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴And Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, “He is ill.” ¹⁵So Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, so that I can kill him.” ¹⁶When the messengers came, to their surprise^k the idol was on the bed with the quilt of goat’s hair at the head. ¹⁷Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and sent away my enemy, so that he escaped?” Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go, why should I kill you?’ ”

¹⁸So David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. ¹⁹And it was told to Saul, “David is in Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as chief over them, then the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. ²¹So they told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Again Saul sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied. ²²Then he also went to Ramah. When he came to the great cistern which was in Secu, he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” Someone said, “Look they are in Naioth in Ramah.” ²³So he went there to Naioth in Ramah and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he walked along prophesying^l until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴He also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Jonathan Supports David over Saul

20Then David fled from Naioth in 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 is trying to kill me?^{a 2}And he said to him, “Far from it! You will not die! Look, my father does not do^b anything large or small unless he reveals it to me.^c Why should my father hide this thing or anything from me?” ³Then David took an oath^d again and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thought, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he worry.’ But as Yahweh lives^e and as your soul lives,^f surely there is merely a step between me and death!” ⁴Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you wish,^g I will do for you.” ⁵David said to Jonathan, “Look, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should certainly sit with the king to eat. You must send me away so that I can hide myself in the field until the third evening. ⁶If your father misses me at all, then you must say, ‘David earnestly asked from me to run to Bethlehem his city, for the yearly sacrifice^h is there for all the clan.’ ⁷If he says ‘Good,’ it will mean peace for your servant; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided to do me harm.^{i 8}So you must show loyal love to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is guilt in me, then kill me yourself! But why should you bring me to your father?” ⁹Then Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I know for certain that my father decided evil should come upon you,^j would I not have told it to you?” ¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if what your father answers you is harsh?” ¹¹And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out to the field.

¹²Then…