| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul's son Jonathan liked David very much. | 1Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, |
| 2So Jonathan told David, "My father Saul is trying to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find a hiding place and stay in seclusion. | 2told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. |
| 3I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak about you to my father. When I find out what the problem is, I will let you know." | 3I’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.” |
| 4So Jonathan spoke on David's behalf to his father Saul. He said to him, "The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial for you. | 4The 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. |
| 5He risked his life when he struck down the Philistine and the LORD gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?" | 5Have 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!” |
| 6Saul accepted Jonathan's advice and took an oath, "As surely as the LORD lives, he will not be put to death." | 6So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be killed.” |
| 7Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly. | 7Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before. |
| 8Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly and they ran away from him. | 8War broke out again after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away. |
| 9Then an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre. | 9But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the LORD suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, |
| 10Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul's presence and the spear drove into the wall. David escaped quickly that night. | 10Saul 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. Michal Saves David’s Life |
| 11Saul sent messengers to David's house to guard it and to kill him in the morning. Then David's wife Michal told him, "If you do not save yourself tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!" | 11Then 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.” |
| 12So Michal lowered David through the window, and he ran away and escaped. | 12So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped. |
| 13Then Michal took a household idol and put it on the bed. She put a quilt made of goat's hair over its head and then covered the idol with a garment. | 13Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head. |
| 14When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, "He's sick." | 14When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed. |
| 15Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me on his bed so I can kill him." | 15But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” |
| 16When the messengers came, they found only the idol on the bed and the quilt made of goat's hair at its head. | 16But 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. |
| 17Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me this way by sending my enemy away? Now he has escaped!" Michal replied to Saul, "He said to me, 'Help me get away or else I will kill you!'" | 17“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.” |
| 18Now David had run away and escaped. He went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. | 18So 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. |
| 19It was reported to Saul saying, "David is at Naioth in Ramah." | 19When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, |
| 20So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw a company of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the spirit of God came upon Saul's messengers, and they also prophesied. | 20he 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. |
| 21When it was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they prophesied too. So Saul sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied. | 21When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time. |
| 22Finally Saul himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the large cistern that is in Secu, he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" They said, "At Naioth in Ramah." | 22Finally, 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. |
| 23So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him as well, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. | 23But 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! |
| 24He even stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay there naked all that day and night. (For that reason it is asked, "Is Saul also among the prophets?") | 24He 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?” |
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