Jealousy of Saul Aroused 6. And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. 7. And the women sang one to another in their play, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, 8. And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? 9. And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. * 10. And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day: and Saul had his spear in his hand. II. And Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice.) 12. And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul. 13. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him. 15. And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him. 16. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them. *See Samuel, Appendix B. Duplication of incidents, 6. Two Artful Proposals for Marriage I Sam. 18:17. (* And Saul said to David, Behold, my eldest daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. 18. And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? 19. But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.) 20. And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21. (And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistine may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law a second time.) 22. And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law. 23. And Saul's servants spake these words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 24. And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. 25. And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26. (And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law. And the days were not expired;) 27. and David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 28. And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David; and Michal Saul's daughter loved him. 29. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually. 30. (Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.) Attempts on I Sam. 19:1. And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. 2. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to slay thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: 3. and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my *See Samuel, Appendix B. Duplication of incidents, 7. father of thee; and if I see aught I will tell thee. 4. And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to theeward very good: 5. for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel: thou sawest it and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? 6. And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be put to death. 7. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as beforetime. 8. And 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. 9. And an evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David played with his hand. IO. *And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. 11. And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life tonight, to-morrow thou shalt be slain. 12. So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. 13. And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goat's hair at the head thereof, and covered it with the clothes. 14. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 15. And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. 16. And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goat's hair at the head thereof. 17. And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee? † David's Escape to Samuel 18. Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19. And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 20. And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they *See Samuel, Appendix B. Duplication of incidents, 6. PS. 59. A Psalm of David: when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Set me on high from them that rise up against me. 2. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from the bloodthirsty men. 3. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul, The mighty gather themselves together against me 4. They run and prepare themselves without my fault: 5. Even thou, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, Arise to visit all the heathen: Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah 6. They return at evening, they make a noise like a dog, And go round about the city. 7. Behold, they belch out with their mouth; Swords are in their lips: For who, say they, doth hear? 8. But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; Thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. 9. O my strength, I will wait upon thee: For God is my high tower. 10. The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies. also prophesied. 21. And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22. Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. 23. And he went thither 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. 24. And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? * David's Flight to Jonathan I Sam. 20:1. And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? 2. And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. 3. And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father knoweth well that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. 4. Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. 5. And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meet: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. 6. If thy father miss me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7. If he say thus, it is well; thy servant shall have peace; but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him. 8. Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? 9. And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? 10. Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly? 11. And Jonathan said unto David, Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. The Mutual 12. And Jonathan said unto David, The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness; when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? 13. The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. 14. And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: 15. but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. 16. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And the Lord shall require it at the hand of David's enemies. 17. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18. Then Jonathan said unto him, To-morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. 19. And when thou hast stayed three * See Samuel, Appendix B. Duplication of incidents, 3. days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. 20. And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. 21. And, behold, I will send the lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee: take them and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as the Lord liveth. 22. But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee: go thy way; for the Lord hath sent thee away. 23. And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord is between thee and me for ever. The Final Parting 24. So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. 25. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty. 26. Nevertheless Saul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. 27. And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second day, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday nor to-day? 28. And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem: 29. and he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king's table. 30. Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother's nakedness? 31. For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be stablished, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. 32. And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done? 33. And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death. 34. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. 35. And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 36. And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? 38. And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39. But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40. And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. 41. And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of the place toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. 42. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, the Lord shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went in to the city. |