1 Samuel 18–23

Jonathan’s Covenant with David

¹⁸When David^a had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.^{* 2}Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.^{* 3}Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt. ⁵David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.

⁶As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.^{b* 7}And the women sang to one another as they made merry,

“Saul has killed his thousands

and David his ten thousands.”^*

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

Saul Tries to Kill David

¹⁰The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand,^{* 11}and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.^*

¹²Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul.^{* 13}So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand, and David marched out and came in, leading the army.^{* 14}David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.^{* 15}When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David, for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.^*

David Marries Michal

¹⁷Then Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife; only be valiant for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I will not raise a hand against him; let the Philistines deal with him.”^{* 18}David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”^{* 19}But at the time when Saul’s daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.^*

²⁰Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. Saul was told, and the thing pleased him.^{* 21}Saul thought, “Let me give her to him that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^c “You shall now be my son-in-law.”^{* 22}Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘See, the king is delighted with you, and all his servants love you; now then, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ” ²³So Saul’s servants reported these words to David in private. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of no repute?” ²⁴The servants of Saul told him, “This is what David said.” ²⁵Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no marriage present except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged on the king’s enemies.’ ” Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.^{* 26}When his servants told David these words, David was well pleased to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the time had expired,^{* 27}David rose and went, along with his men, and killed one hundred^d of the Philistines, and David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife.^{* 28}But when Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that Saul’s daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy from that time forward.

³⁰Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his fame became very great.^*

Jonathan Intercedes for David

¹⁹Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul’s son Jonathan took great delight in David.^{* 2}Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you.”^{* 4}Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you and because his deeds have been of good service to you,^{* 5}for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?”^{* 6}Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.^*

Michal Helps David Escape from Saul

⁸Again there was war, and David went out to fight the Philistines. He launched a heavy attack on them, so that they fled before him. ⁹Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing music.^{* 10}Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night.^*

¹¹Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch over him, planning to kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” ¹²So Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped.^{* 13}Michal took an idol^e and laid it on the bed; she put a net^f of goats’ hair on its head and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”^{* 15}Then Saul sent the messengers to see David for themselves. He said, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” ¹⁶When the messengers came in, the idol^g was in the bed, with the covering^h of goats’ hair on its head. ¹⁷Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’ ”

David Joins Samuel in Ramah

¹⁸Now David fled and escaped; he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and settled at Naioth.^{* 19}Saul was told, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰Then Saul sent messengers to take David. When they saw the company of the prophets in a frenzy, with Samuel standing in charge ofⁱ them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also fell into a prophetic frenzy.^{* 21}When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they also fell into a frenzy. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also fell into a frenzy. ²²Then he himself went to Ramah. He came to the great well that is in Secu; he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “They are at Naioth in Ramah.” ²³He went there, toward Naioth in Ramah, and the spirit of God came upon him. As he was going, he fell into a prophetic frenzy, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.^{* 24}He, too, stripped off his clothes, and he, too, fell into a frenzy before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that night. Therefore it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

The Friendship of David and Jonathan

²⁰David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came before Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin against your father that he is trying to take my life?”^{* 2}He said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. My father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me, and why should my father hide this from me? Never!” ³But David also swore, “Your father knows well that you like me, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, 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, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at the meal, but let me go, so that I may hide in the field until the third evening.^{* 6}If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’^{* 7}If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that evil has been determined by him. ⁸Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a sacred covenant^j with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?”^{* 9}Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was decided by my father that evil should come upon you, would I not tell you?” ¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” ¹¹Jonathan replied to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

¹²Jonathan said to David, “By the Lord, the God of Israel! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow or on the third day, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? ¹³But if my father intends to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has…