New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Saul Tries to Kill David

Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David,

1

Jonathan Warns David

And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David.

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told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields.

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But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeks to kill thee; and now, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place and hide thyself;

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I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”

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and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and will speak of thee with my father: and see what it is, and tell thee.

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The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could.

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And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against thee; for also what he did was very advantageous to thee;

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Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the LORD brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”

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for he put his life in hand, and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou didst see [it], and didst rejoice; why then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, in slaying David without cause?

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So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be killed.”

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And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, [As] Jehovah liveth, he shall not be put to death!

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Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.

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Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan declared to him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as previously.

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War broke out again after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away.

8

Saul Seeks to Kill David

And there was war again; and David went forth and fought with the Philistines, and smote them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.

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But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirita from the LORD suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp,

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And an evil spirit from Jehovah was upon Saul. And he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David played with his hand.

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Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

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And Saul sought to smite David and the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall. And David fled, and escaped that night.

11

Michal Saves David’s Life

Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.”

11

Michal Saves David

And Saul sent messengers to 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 wilt be put to death.

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So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped.

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And Michal let David down through a window; and he went, and fled and escaped.

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Then she took an idolb and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

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And Michal took the image, and laid it in the bed, and put the net of goats' [hair] at its head, and covered it with the coverlet.

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When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed.

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

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But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!”

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And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may put him to death.

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But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

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And the messengers came in, and behold, the image was in the bed, and the net of goats' [hair] at its head.

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“Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal.
“I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.”

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Then Saul said to Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I slay thee?

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So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth.

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And 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.

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When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah,

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And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth by Ramah.

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he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel leading a group of prophets who were prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy.

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Then Saul sent messengers to take David; and they saw a company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as president over them; and the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

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When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time.

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And it was told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.

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Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he demanded.
“They are at Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him.

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Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Sechu; and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, at Naioth by Ramah.

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But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth!

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And he went thither to Naioth by Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth by Ramah.

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He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

24

And he himself also stripped off his clothes, and prophesied, himself also, before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

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New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

1 Samuel 19

1 Samuel 19