0 SAB 1 Samuel 19

1 Samuel

CHAPTER 19

Saul tries to kill David
19:1-17

1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

Saul told his servants and his son, Jonathan, to kill David.

2But 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:

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.

But Jonathan "delighted much in David." [1]

So Jonathan said to David,

Hide in a secret place until morning.

I'll keep an eye on my father and tell you what he's up to.

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:

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?

Jonathan tried to talk his father out of killing David, saying,
David never did anything to hurt you.

You saw him kill that giant Philistine.

So why do you want to kill him?

6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.

And it seemed to work. Saul swore he wouldn't have David killed.

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.

 

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.

Meanwhile, war broke out with the Philistines again.

So David went out and "slew them with a great slaughter."

9And 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.

After the slaughter, God's evil spirit plagued Saul again, as he sat in his house with a javelin while David played with his hand.

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.

Saul tried to kill David again by nailing him to the wall with his javelin.

But David "slipped away."

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.

12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.

David's wife, Michal, told David that he'd better leave town tonight.

And she helped him escape through a window.

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.

Then Michal put an image in the bed to make it look like David was still sleeping there.

14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

Saul sent messengers to capture David, but Michal said David was 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.

Saul sent the messengers again, saying,
Bring him to me in his bed, so I can kill him.

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.

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?

But when the messengers looked for David in his bed, they found the image that Michal had put there.
Saul, the naked prophet
19:18-24

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.

David fled to Ramah and told Samuel that Saul tried to kill him.

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 was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

When Saul found out that David was in Ramah, he sent messengers to capture him.

But when the messengers arrived and saw everyone prophesying, the spirit of the Lord came upon them too and they began prophesying.

21And 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.

When Saul was told about his prophesying messengers, he sent more messengers, and they began prophesying, too!

So Saul sent a third set of messengers, and the same thing happened to them.

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.

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.

Finally Saul decided to go to Ramah to see the prophesying firsthand.

He asked where Samuel and David were, and was told, "They are in Naioth."

So Saul went to Naioth, and the Spirit of God came upon him too, and he prophesied.

24And 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?

Saul gets a bit carried away with his prophesying and he took off all of his clothes and prophesied all day and night. [2]

That's why everyone says,

Is Saul also among the prophets?
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