1 Samuel 19
1 And Saul speaks to his son Jonathan, and to all his servants, to put David to death,
And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan the son of Saul loved David exceedingly.
2 and Jonathan son of Saul delighted in David exceedingly, and Jonathan declares [it] to David, saying, “My father Saul is seeking to put you to death, and now, please take heed in the morning, and you have abided in a secret place and been hidden,
And Jonathan told David, saying: Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: wherefore look to thyself, I beseech thee, in the morning, and thou shalt abide in a secret place and shalt be hid.
3 and I go out, and have stood by the side of my father in the field where you [are], and I speak of you to my father, and have seen what [is coming], and have declared [it] to you.”
And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art: and I will speak of thee to my father, and whatsoever I shall see, I will tell thee.
4 And Jonathan speaks good of David to his father Saul and says to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works [are] very good for you;
And Jonathan spoke good things of David to Saul his father: and said to him: Sin not, O king, against thy servant, David, because he hath not sinned against thee, and his works are very good towards thee.
5 indeed, he puts his life in his hand, and strikes the Philistine, and YHWH works a great salvation for all Israel; you have seen, and rejoice, and why do you sin against innocent blood, to put David to death for nothing?”
And he put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought great salvation for all Israel. Thou sawest it and didst rejoice. Why therefore wilt thou sin against innocent blood by killing David, who is without fault?
6 And Saul listens to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swears, “YHWH lives—he does not die.”
And when Saul heard this he was appeased with the words of Jonathan, and swore: As the Lord liveth he shall not be slain.
7 And Jonathan calls for David, and Jonathan declares all these words to him, and Jonathan brings in David to Saul, and he is before him as before.
Then Jonathan called David and told him all these words: and Jonathan brought in David to Saul, and he was before him, as he had been yesterday and the day before.
8 And there adds to be war, and David goes out and fights against the Philistines, and strikes among them [with] a great striking, and they flee from his face.
And the war began again, and David went out and fought against the Philistines, and defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled from his face.
9 And a spirit of sadness [from] YHWH is to Saul, and he is sitting in his house, and his javelin [is] in his hand, and David is playing with the hand,
And the evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, and he sat in his house, and held a spear in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10 and Saul seeks to strike with the javelin through David, and through the wall, and he frees himself from the presence of Saul, and he strikes the javelin through the wall; and David has fled and escapes during that night.
And Saul endeavoured to nail David to the wall with his spear. And David slipt away out of the presence of Saul: and the spear missed him, and was fastened in the wall, and David fled and escaped that night.
11 And Saul sends messengers to the house of David to watch him, and to put him to death in the morning; and his wife Michal declares [it] to David, saying, “If you are not delivering your life tonight—tomorrow you are put to death.”
Saul therefore sent his guards to David’s house to watch him, that he might be killed in the morning. And when Michol David’s wife had told him this, saying: Unless thou save thyself this night, tomorrow thou wilt die,
12 And Michal causes David to go down through the window, and he goes on, and flees, and escapes;
She let him down through a window. And he went and fled away and escaped.
13 and Michal takes the teraphim, and lays [it] on the bed, and she has put the mattress of goats’ [hair for] his pillows, and covers [it] with a garment.
And Michol took an image and laid it on the bed, and put a goat’s skin with the hair at the head of it, and covered it with clothes.
14 And Saul sends messengers to take David, and she says, “He [is] sick.”
And Saul sent officers to seize David: and it was answered that he was sick.
15 And Saul sends the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up in the bed to me in order to put him to death.”
And again Saul sent to see David, saying: Bring him to me in the bed, that he may be slain.
16 And the messengers come in, and behold, the teraphim [are] on the bed, and the mattress of goats’ [hair for] his pillows.
And when the messengers were come in, they found an image upon the bed, and a goat’s skin at its head.
17 And Saul says to Michal, “Why have you thus deceived me—that you send my enemy away, and he escapes?” And Michal says to Saul, “He said to me, Send me away. Why do I put you to death?”
And Saul said to Michol: Why hast thou deceived me so, and let my enemy go and flee away? And Michol answered Saul: Because he said to me: Let me go, or else I will kill thee.
18 And David has fled, and escapes, and comes to Samuel at Ramath, and declares to him all that Saul has done to him, and he goes, he and Samuel, and they dwell in Naioth.
But David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel in Ramatha, and told him all that Saul had done to him: and he and Samuel went and dwelt in Najoth.
19 And it is declared to Saul, saying, “Behold, David [is] in Naioth in Ramah.”
And it was told Saul by some, saying: Behold David is in Najoth in Ramatha.
20 And Saul sends messengers to take David, and they see the assembly of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing, set over them, and the Spirit of God is on Saul’s messengers, and they prophesy—they also.
So Saul sent officers to take David: and when they saw a company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel presiding over them, the spirit of the Lord came also upon them, and they likewise began to prophesy.
21 And they declare [it] to Saul, and he sends other messengers, and they prophesy—they also; and Saul adds and sends messengers a third time, and they prophesy—they also.
And when this was told Saul, he sent other messengers: but they also prophesied. And again Saul sent messengers the third time: and they prophesied also. And Saul being exceedingly angry,
22 And he goes—he also—to Ramath, and comes to the great well which [is] in Sechu, and asks and says, “Where [are] Samuel and David?” And [one] says, “Behold, in Naioth in Ramah.”
Went also himself to Ramatha, and came as far as the great cistern, which is in Socho, and he asked, and said: In what place are Samuel and David? And it was told him: Behold they axe in Najoth in Ramatha.
23 And he goes there—to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God is on him also; and he goes, going on, and he prophesies until his coming to Naioth in Ramah,
And he went to Najoth in Ramatha, and the spirit of the Lord came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied till he came to Najoth in Ramatha.
24 and he strips off—he also—his garments, and prophesies—he also—before Samuel, and falls down naked all that day and all the night; therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
And he stripped himself also of his garments, and prophesied with the rest before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and night. This gave occasion to a proverb: What! is Saul too among the prophets?
