1 Samuel 19
1 Then Saul urged all his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much.
And Saul speaks to his son Jonathan, and to all his servants, to put David to death,
2 So he warned David, “My father Saul is seeking for a way to kill you. So be careful. Tomorrow morning go and find a place to hide [in the field].
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,
3 I will ask my father to go out there with me. [While we are out there], I will talk to him about you. Then I will tell you everything that he tells me.” [So David did what Jonathan told him to do].
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.”
4 [The next morning], Jonathan spoke with his father, saying many good things about David. He said, “You should never do anything to harm your servant David! He has never done anything to harm you! Everything that he has done has helped you very much.
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;
5 He was in danger of being killed when he fought against [Goliath, the champion of] the Philistia [army. By enabling David to kill him], Yahweh won a great victory for all the people of Israel. You were very happy when you saw that. Why would you want to do anything now to harm David [RHQ]? There is no reason for you to kill him, because he has not done anything wrong!”
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?”
6 Saul listened to what Jonathan said. Then Saul said, “I solemnly promise that just as certain as Yahweh lives, I will not kill David.”
And Saul listens to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swears, “YHWH lives—he does not die.”
7 Afterward, Jonathan summoned David and told him what he and Saul had said. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David served Saul as he had done before.
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.
8 One day a war started again, and David [led his soldiers to] fight against the Philistia army. David’s [army] attacked them very furiously, with the result that the Philistia army ran away.
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.
9 But one day when sitting in his house, an evil spirit [sent] from Yahweh [suddenly] came upon Saul. While David was playing his harp [for Saul],
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,
10 Saul hurled his spear at David to try to fasten him to the wall. David (dodged/jumped to one side), and the spear did not hit him. The spear stuck in the wall, but that night David escaped.
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.
11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house. He told them to watch the house and to kill David [while he was leaving the house] the following morning. But David’s wife Michal [saw them and] warned him, “To survive, you must run away tonight, because if you do not do that, you will be killed tomorrow!”
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.”
12 So she enabled David to climb out through a window, and he ran away and escaped.
And Michal causes David to go down through the window, and he goes on, and flees, and escapes;
13 Then Michal took an idol and put it in the bed. She covered it with some [of David’s] clothes, and put some goat’s hair on the head of the idol.
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.
14 When the messengers came [to the house the next morning], she told them that David was sick [and could not get out of bed].
And Saul sends messengers to take David, and she says, “He [is] sick.”
15 [When they reported that to] Saul, he told them to go back to David’s house. He said to them, “Bring him to me lying on his bed, in order that I can kill him!”
And Saul sends the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up in the bed to me in order to put him to death.”
16 But when those men entered David’s house, they saw that there was only an idol in the bed, with goat’s hair on its head.
And the messengers come in, and behold, the teraphim [are] on the bed, and the mattress of goats’ [hair for] his pillows.
17 [When they reported that to Saul, ] Saul [summoned] Michal [and] said to her, “Why did you trick me like that? You allowed my enemy to escape!” Michal replied to Saul, “David told me that if I did not help him escape, he would kill me!” [RHQ]
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?”
18 After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel, who was [at his home] at Ramah. He told Samuel everything that Saul had done to [try to kill] him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth, [which was a section] of [Ramah city], and they stayed there.
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.
19 Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth.
And it is declared to Saul, saying, “Behold, David [is] in Naioth in Ramah.”
20 So Saul sent some messengers to capture David. [When] those messengers [arrived in Ramah, they] met some men who were proclaiming ecstatic messages, and Samuel was there, as their leader. When Saul’s messengers met them, the Spirit of God took control of Saul’s men, and they also spoke ecstatically.
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.
21 When Saul heard about that, he sent messengers a third time, but they also started to speak ecstatically.
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.
22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the well at [a place named] Secu, he asked people there, “Where are Samuel and David?” The people replied, “They are at Naioth in Ramah [city].”
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.”
23 While Saul was walking toward Naioth, the Spirit of God also took control of him. [While he walked on], he continued speaking ecstatic messages until he came to Naioth.
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,
24 There he took off his clothes, and he spoke messages from God in front of Samuel. He lay on the ground doing that all day and all night. That is the reason that [when people see someone doing something that is very unexpected, they think about what happened to Saul, and] they say, “We are surprised, like the people were surprised to see Saul [acting like] a prophet?” [RHQ]
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?”
