1 Samuel 19:1-17

Expanded Bible

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David, but Jonathan ·liked [delighted in] David very much. ² So he warned David, “My father Saul is ·looking for a chance [^Lseeking] to kill you. ·Watch out [Be on guard] in the morning. Hide in a secret place. ³ I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are hiding, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll let you know what I find out.”

⁴ When Jonathan talked to Saul his father, he ·said good things about [spoke well of] David. Jonathan said, “The king should ·do no wrong to [not harm/sin against] your servant David since he has ·done nothing wrong to [not harmed/sinned against] you. What he has done has ·helped [benefited; served] you greatly. ⁵ ·David risked his life [^LHe took his life in his hand] when he ·killed Goliath the Philistine [^Lstruck the Philistine], and the Lord won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and ·were happy [rejoiced]. Why would you ·do wrong against David? He’s innocent [^L… sin against innocent blood?]. There’s no reason to kill him!”

⁶ Saul listened to Jonathan and then ·made this promise [vowed; swore]: “As surely as the Lord lives, David won’t be put to death.”

⁷ ·So [Afterward] Jonathan called to David and told him everything that had been said. He brought David to Saul, and David ·was with [served] Saul as before.

⁸ When war broke out again, David went out to ·fight [^Lstrike] the Philistines. He ·defeated them [attacked them with great force], and they ran away from him.

⁹ But once again an ·evil [tormenting] spirit from the Lord ·rushed upon [overwhelmed; seized; possessed] Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing the ·harp [lyre]. ¹⁰ Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David ·jumped out of the way [slipped away; eluded him]. So Saul’s spear ·went into [stuck in] the wall, and David ·ran away [escaped] that night.

¹¹ Saul sent ·messengers [agents; soldiers] to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, saying, “Tonight you must ·run for [save] your life. If you don’t, you will be dead in the morning.” ¹² So she let David down out of a window, and he ·ran away [fled] and escaped. ¹³ Then Michal took an ·idol [household image; ^Lteraphim; ^Cprobably household gods; Gen. 31:19], laid it on the bed, covered it with ·clothes [blankets], and put goats’ hair at its head.

¹⁴ Saul sent ·messengers [agents; soldiers] to take David prisoner, but Michal said, “He is sick.”

¹⁵ Saul sent ·them [^Lmessengers; agents; soldiers] back to see David, saying, “Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him.”

¹⁶ When the ·messengers [agents; soldiers] entered David’s house, they found just an ·idol [household image; 19:13] on the bed with goats’ hair on its head.

¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why did ·you trick [deceive; betray] me this way? You let my enemy go so he could ·run away [escape]!”

Michal answered Saul, “David told me ·if I did not help him escape, he would kill me [^L“Let me go. Why should I kill you?].”