1 And Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his slaves that they should kill David. 2 But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David, and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul, my father, seeks to kill thee: now, therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning and abide in a secret place and hide thyself. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will speak with my father of thee, and what I see, that I will tell thee. 4 And Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul, his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his slave David, for he has not sinned against thee; on the other hand his works have been very good for thee, 5 for he put his soul in his hand and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel. Thou didst see it and rejoice. Why then wilt thou sin against innocent blood to slay David without a cause? 6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, As the LORD lives, he shall not be slain. 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.
8 And there was war again, and David went out and fought with the Philistines and slew them with a great slaughter, and they fled from him. 9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, and David played with his hand. 10 And Saul sought to smite David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, who smote the spear into the wall; and David fled and escaped that night.
11 Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house to watch him and to slay him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life tonight, tomorrow thou shalt be dead. 12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he went and fled and escaped. 13 Then Michal took an image and laid it in the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at his head and covered it with a cloth. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed that I may slay him. 16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed with a pillow of goats’ hair at his head. 17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so and sent away my enemy that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; if not, I shall kill thee.
18 So David fled and escaped and came to Samuel in Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 20 And Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22 Then he also went to Ramah and came to a great well that is in Sechu, and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah. 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he stripped off his clothes also and prophesied before Samuel in like manner and lay down naked all that day and all that night. From here it was said, Is Saul also among the prophets?