Saul Tries to Kill David
(Psalm 59:1–17)

1Saul spake to Ionatha his sonne, and to all his seruauntes, that they should kill Dauid. 2But Ionatha Sauls sonne had a great fauour to Dauid, & Ionathan tolde Dauid, saying, Saul my father goeth about to slay thee: Nowe therfore I pray thee take heede to thy selfe vntyll the mornyng, and abyde in some secrete place, and hyde thy selfe: 3And I wyll go out, and stande by my father in the fielde where thou art, and wyll commune with my father of thee, and whatsoeuer I see, I wyll tell thee. 4And Ionathan spake good of Dauid vnto Saul his father, and sayde vnto him: Let not the king sinne against his seruaunt, against Dauid: for he hath not sinned against thee, and his workes haue ben to theewarde very good. 5For he dyd put his life in his hande, and slue the Philistine, and the Lorde brought to passe a great health for all Israel: Thou sawest it, and thou reioycedst: Wherfore then wilt thou sinne against innocent blood, and slay Dauid without a cause? 6And Saul hearkened vnto the voyce of Ionathan, and Saul sware, as the Lorde lyueth he shall not dye. 7And Ionathan called Dauid, & Ionathan shewed hym all those wordes: & Ionathan brought Dauid to Saul, & he was in his presence as in tymes past.

8And the warre began againe, and Dauid went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slue them with a great slaughter, and they fled from hym. 9And the euyl spirite of the Lorde was vpon Saul as he sate in his house, hauing a iauelin in his hand: And Dauid played with his hand. 10And Saul entended to smyte Dauid to the wall with the iauelyn: But he ryd him selfe out of Sauls presence, as he smote the speare into the walle: And Dauid fled & was saued the same night.

11Saul also sent messengers vnto Dauids house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: And Michol Dauids wyfe tolde it him, saying: If thou saue not thy selfe this night, to morowe thou shalt be slayne. 12And so Michol let Dauid downe through a windowe: and he went and fled, and was saued. 13And Michol toke an image, and layde it in the bed, & put a pillowe stuffed with goates heere vnder the head of it, and couered it with a cloth. 14And when Saul sent messengers to fetche Dauid, she said, he is sicke. 15And Saul sent the messengers againe to see Dauid, saying: Bring him to me bed and all, that I may slay him. 16And when the messengers were come in, behold there lay an image in the bed, with a pillowe of goates heere vnder the head of it. 17And Saul sayde vnto Michol: Why hast thou mocked me so, and sent away mine enemie, that he is escaped? Michol aunswered Saul: For he sayd vnto me, let me go, or els I will kill thee.

18And so Dauid fled, and escaped, & came to Samuel to Rama, and tolde him all that Saul had done to him: And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19And one tolde Saul, saying: Beholde, Dauid is at Naioth in Rama. 20And Saul sent messengers to fet Dauid: And when they sawe a company of prophetes prophecying, & Samuel standing as appoynted ouer them, the spirite of God fell vpon the messengers of Saul, and they prophecied to. 21And when it was tolde Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophecied lykewyse. And Saul sent messengers yet againe the third time, and they prophecied also. 22Then went he him selfe to Rama, and came to a great well that is in Sechu, and he asked and sayde: Where are Samuel & Dauid? And one sayd: Beholde, they be at Naioth in Rama. 23And he went thyther euen to Naioth in Rama, and the spirite of God came vpon him also, and he went prophecying vntill he came to Naioth in Rama. 24And he stript of his clothes & prophecied before Samuel in lyke maner, and fell naked al that day and all that night: And therof it is that they say, Is Saul also among the prophetes?