1 Samuel 19

New King James Version

Saul Persecutes David

19 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill^(A)David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son,^(B)delighted greatly in David.² So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secretplaceand hide.³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where youare,and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell^(C)you.”

⁴ Thus Jonathan^(D)spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king^(E)sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his workshave beenvery good toward you.⁵ For he took his^(F)life in his hands and^(G)killed the Philistine, and^(H)theLordbrought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You sawitand rejoiced.^(I)Why then will you^(J)sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”

⁶ So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “AstheLordlives, he shall not be killed.”⁷ Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence^(K)as in times past.

⁸ And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines,^(L)and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him.

⁹ Now^(M)the distressing spirit from theLordcame upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playingmusicwithhishand.¹⁰ Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.

^11 (N)Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”¹² So Michal^(O)let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped.¹³ And Michal took^[a]an image and laiditin the bed, put a cover of goats’hairfor his head, and covereditwith clothes.¹⁴ So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “Heissick.”

¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengersbackto see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”¹⁶ And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goats’hairfor his head.¹⁷ Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?”

And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go!^(P)Why should I kill you?’ ”

¹⁸ So David fled and escaped, and went to^(Q)Samuel at^(R)Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.¹⁹ Now it was told Saul, saying, “Take note, Davidisat Naioth in Ramah!”²⁰ Then^(S)Saul sent messengers to take David.^(T)And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standingasleader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also^(U)prophesied.²¹ And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.²² Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well thatisat Sechu. So he asked, and said, “WhereareSamuel and David?”

Andsomeonesaid, “Indeedthey areat Naioth in Ramah.”²³ So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then^(V)the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.^24 (W)And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down^(X)naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say,^(Y)“IsSaul also among the prophets?”