Chapter 19
And Saul then 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 theeward very good.
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?
And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan, and Saul sware, As the Lord
liveth, he shall not be slain.
And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things.
And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times
past.
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.
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.
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 also sent messengers unto David's house to watch him, and to slay him in the
morning.
And Michael, David's wife, told him, saying, If thou save not thy life tonight,
tomorrow thou shalt be slain.
So Michael let David down through a window, and he went, and fled,
and escaped.
And Michael took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goat's hair
for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.
And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the
bed, that I may slay him.
And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed with
a pillow of goat's hair for his bolster.
And Saul said unto Michael, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy,
that he is escaped?
And Michael answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go, why should I kill thee?
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 Naoth.
And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naoth in Ramah.
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.
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.
Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Seqiu.
And he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David?
And one said, Behold, they be at Naoth in Ramah.
And he went thither to Naoth in Ramah.
And the Spirit of God was upon him also.
And he went on and prophesied until he came to Naoth in Ramah.
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?