1And Saul told Jonathan, his son, and all his servants, that they should kill David. 2But Jonathan told David, “Saul, my father, seeks to kill you; so be on your guard until the morning, and hide yourself in a secret place: 3And I will go out with my father into the field where you are hiding, and will talk with my father of you; and I will tell you what I observe.” 4So Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul, and said, “Let not the king sin against his servant, David; because he has not sinned against you, and because what he has done for you has been very good: 5He risked his life, and killed the Philistine, and the LORD won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced then; why will you now sin against innocent blood, by killing David without a cause?” 6And Saul listened to Jonathan; and swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be slain.” 7And Jonathan told David all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was again in his presence, as before.

8And war again broke out; and David went out, and fought the Philistines, slaughtering many them; and they fled from him. 9And the distressing spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand; while David played music for Saul. 10And that night Saul tried again to pin David to the wall with the javelin; and the javelin stuck into the wall; and David fled from Saul's presence; 11Then Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning; and Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you shall be dead.” 12So Michal let David down through a window; and he fled, and escaped. 13And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for its head, and covered it with a blanket. 14And when Saul messengers came to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15And Saul sent the messengers back again, saying, “Bring David up to me in his bed, that I may kill him.” 16And when the messengers come into his room, behold, there was just an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for its head. 17And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me so, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered, “He told me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’”

18So David escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19And Saul was told that David was at Naioth in Ramah. 20And Saul sent messengers there to take David. And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21And when this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied. 22Then finally, Saul, himself, went, and came to a great well that is in Secu; and asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “They are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23And so he went to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24And he also stripped off his clothes, and he, too, prophesied before Samuel; and lay down naked all that day and that night. Therefore, they said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”