1 Samuel 19:1-17

1Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David.

But Jonathan delighted greatly in David, 2so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there. 3I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, so I can ask about you. And if I find out anything, I will tell you.”

4Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you. 5He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”

6Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.”

7So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

8When war broke out again, David went out and fought the Philistines and struck them with such a mighty blow that they fled before him.

9But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress1 from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp, 10Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

11Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” 12So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.

13Then Michal took a household idol2 and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment. 14When Saul sent the messengers to seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

15But Saul sent the messengers back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I can kill him.” 16And when the messengers entered, there was the idol in the bed with the goat hair on its head.

17And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away, and he has escaped!”

Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’”