1AND Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants that they should kill David. 2But Jonathan, Saul's son, was delighted much in David; and Jonathan spoke to David, saying, Saul my father seeks to kill you; now therefore take heed to yourself, and sit in a secret place and hide yourself; 3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father concerning you; and I will see what is on his mind, and I will tell you. 4And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant David; for he has not sinned against you, and his works are sufficient proof of his loyalty to you; 5For he put his life at your disposal, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel by his hand; you saw it and rejoiced; and now, why then will you sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? 6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan his son; and Saul swore, saying, As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death. 7Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was with him as in times past.

8And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. 9And an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand; and David played the harp in his presence. 10And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the javelin; but he fled from Saul's presence, and Saul stuck the javelin into the wall; and David fled, and escaped that night.

11Saul then sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to slay him in the morning; but Malchel, David's wife, told him, saying, If you do not save yourself tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death. 12So Malchel let David down through a window; and he fled and escaped. 13And Malchel took an idol, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goat's skin at the head of it, and covered it with a bedcover. 14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 15And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him. 16And when the messengers came in, behold, there was an idol in the bed, with a pillow of goat's skin at its head. 17And they told Saul, and Saul said to Malchel, Why have you deceived me so, and let my enemy depart, so that he has escaped? And Malchel said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go; or else I will kill you.

18So David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramtha and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Jonath which is in Ramtha. 19And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Jonath which is in Ramtha. 20And Saul sent messengers to take David; and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as a leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22Then he himself went to Ramtha, and came as far as the great cistern which is at the end of the town; and Saul said, Where are Samuel and David? And they said to him, Behold, they are at Jonath which is in Ramtha. 23And he went toward Jonath in Ramtha; and the Spirit of God came upon him also; and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Jonath in Ramtha. 24And he stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Behold, is Saul also among the prophets?