B. The Attempts of Saul to Slay David................... 18:10-20:42
1Sa 18:10
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.1Sa 18:11
And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.1Sa 18:12
And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.1Sa 18:13
Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.1Sa 18:14
And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.1Sa 18:15
Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.1Sa 18:16
But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.1Sa 18:17
And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.1Sa 18:18
And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?1Sa 18:19
But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.1Sa 18:20
And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.1Sa 18:21
And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.1Sa 18:22
And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law.1Sa 18:23
And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?1Sa 18:24
And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.1Sa 18:25
And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.1Sa 18:26
And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.1Sa 18:27
Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.1Sa 18:28
And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.1Sa 18:29
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.1Sa 18:30
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.1Sa 19:1
And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.1Sa 19:2
But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:1Sa 19:3
And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.1Sa 19:4
And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:1Sa 19:5
For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?1Sa 19:6
And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.1Sa 19:7
And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.1Sa 19:8
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.1Sa 19:9
And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.1Sa 19:10
And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.1Sa 19:11
Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.1Sa 19:12
So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.1Sa 19:13
And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.1Sa 19:14
And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.1Sa 19:15
And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.1Sa 19:16
And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.1Sa 19:17
And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?1Sa 19:18
So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.1Sa 19:19
And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.1Sa 19:20
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 was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.1Sa 19:21
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.1Sa 19:22
Then went he also 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 be at Naioth in Ramah.1Sa 19:23
And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.1Sa 19:24
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. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?1Sa 20:1
And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?1Sa 20:2
And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.1Sa 20:3
And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.1Sa 20:4
Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.1Sa 20:5
And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.1Sa 20:6
If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.1Sa 20:7
If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.1Sa 20:8
Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?1Sa 20:9
And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?1Sa 20:10
Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?1Sa 20:11
And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.1Sa 20:12
And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;1Sa 20:13
The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.1Sa 20:14
And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:1Sa 20:15
But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.1Sa 20:16
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.1Sa 20:17
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.1Sa 20:18
Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.1Sa 20:19
And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.1Sa 20:20
And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.1Sa 20:21
And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth.1Sa 20:22
But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.1Sa 20:23
And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.1Sa 20:24
So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.1Sa 20:25
And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.1Sa 20:26
Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.1Sa 20:27
And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?1Sa 20:28
And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:1Sa 20:29
And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.1Sa 20:30
Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?1Sa 20:31
For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.1Sa 20:32
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?1Sa 20:33
And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.1Sa 20:34
So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.1Sa 20:35
And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.1Sa 20:36
And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.1Sa 20:37
And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?1Sa 20:38
And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.1Sa 20:39
But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.1Sa 20:40
And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.1Sa 20:41
And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.1Sa 20:42
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.