Saul Seeks to Kill David

191 Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death . But Jonathan , Saul's son , greatly delighted in David . 2 So Jonathan told David saying , "Saul my father is seeking to put you to death . Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning , and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 "I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where e you are, and I will speak with my father about you; if I find out anything , then I will tell you." 4 Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, " Do not let the king sin against his servant David , since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. 5 "For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine , and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel ; you saw it and rejoiced . Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause ?" 6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan , and Saul vowed , "As the Lord lives , he shall not be put to death ." 7 Then Jonathan called David , and Jonathan told him all these words . And Jonathan brought David to Saul , and he was in his presence as formerly .

8 When there was war again , David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter , so that they fled before e him. 9 Now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand , and David was playing the harp with his hand . 10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear , but he slipped away out of Saul's presence , so that he stuck the spear into the wall . And David fled and escaped that night .

11 Then Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning . But Michal , David's wife , told him, saying , "If you do not save your life tonight , tomorrow you will be put to death ." 12 So Michal let David down through a window , and he went out and fled and escaped . 13 Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed , and put a quilt of goats' hair at its head , and covered it with clothes . 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David , she said , " He is sick ." 15 Then Saul sent messengers to see David , saying , "Bring him up to me on his bed , that I may put him to death ." 16 When the messengers entered , behold , the household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats' hair at its head . 17 So Saul said to Michal , "Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go , so that he has escaped ?" And Michal said to Saul , "He said to me, 'Let me go ! Why should I put you to death ?' "

18 Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah , and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth . 19 It was told Saul , saying , "Behold , David is at Naioth in Ramah ." 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David , but when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying , with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul ; and they also prophesied . 21 When it was told Saul , he sent other messengers , and they also prophesied . So Saul sent messengers again the third time , and they also prophesied . 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu ; and he asked and said , "Where are Samuel and David ?" And someone said , "Behold , they are at Naioth in Ramah ." 23 He proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah ; and the Spirit of God came upon him also , so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah . 24 He also stripped off his clothes , and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night . Therefore e they say , " Is Saul also among the prophets ?"