1Soothly Saul spake to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David;

2certainly Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David greatly. And Jonathan showed to David, and said, Saul, my father, seeketh to slay thee; wherefore, I beseech, keep thyself tomorrow early; and thou shalt dwell privily, and thou shalt be hid.

3And I shall go out, and stand be-side my father in the field, wherever he shall be; and I shall speak of thee to my father, and whatever thing I shall see or whatever thing I shall understand of him, I shall tell thee.

4Then Jonathan spake good things of David to Saul, his father, and said to him, King, do thou not sin against thy servant David, for he hath not sinned to thee, and his works be full good to thee;

5and he putted his life in his hand, and he killed the Philistine. And the Lord made great help to all Israel; thou sawest, and were glad; why therefore sinnest thou in guiltless blood, and wilt slay David, that is without guilt?

6And when Saul had heard this, he was pleased with the speaking of Jonathan, and he swore, The Lord liveth, for David shall not be slain.

7And so Jonathan called David, and showed to him all these words. And Jonathan brought in David to Saul, and he was before him as [he was] yesterday and the third day ago.

8Forsooth battle was moved again; and David went out, and fought against the Philistines, and he smote them with a great wound or great fierceness, and they fled from his face.

9And the evil spirit of the Lord was made upon Saul; and he sat in his house, and held a spear; certainly David harped with his hand.

10And Saul enforced or endeavour-ed to preen, that is pierce, with the spear right through David into the wall; and David bowed [aside] from the face of Saul; and the spear without hurt of David was fixed into the wall; and David fled, and so he was saved in that night.

11Therefore Saul sent his knights in the night into the house of David, that they should keep him, and that he should be slain in the morrowtide. And when Michal, the wife of David, had told this to David, and said, If thou savest not thee in this night, thou shalt die tomorrow;

12and she let him down by a window. And David went, and fled thence, and he was saved.

13And Michal took an image, and laid it on the bed of David, and she put a rough goatskin at the head thereof, and covered it with clothes.

14Forsooth Saul sent sergeants, that should ravish [or take] David, and it was answered, that he was sick.

15And again Saul sent messengers, that they should see David, and he said, Bring ye him to me in the bed, that he be slain.

16And when the messengers had come, a simulacrum was found on the bed, and skins of goat at the head thereof.

17And Saul said to Michal, Why scornedest thou me so, and deliver-edest mine enemy, that he fled? And Michal answered to Saul, For he spake to me, and said, Deliver thou me, else I shall slay thee.

18Forsooth David fled, and was saved; and he came to Samuel into Ramah, and told to him all things which Saul had done to him; and he and Samuel went, and dwelled in Naioth.

19And it was told to Saul of men, saying to him, Lo! David is in Naioth in Ramah.

20Therefore Saul sent menslayers, that they should ravish [or take]from thence David; and when they had seen the company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing over them, the Spirit of the Lord was made in them, and they also began to prophesy.

21And when this was told to Saul, he sent also other messengers; soothly and they prophesied. And again Saul sent the third messengers, and they prophesied.

22And Saul was wroth with ireful-ness; and he also went into Ramah, and he came unto the great cistern which is in Sechu, and he asked, and said, In what place be Samuel and David? And it was said to him, Lo! they be in Naioth in Ramah.

23And he went thither into Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of the Lord was made also on him; and he went, and entered, and prophesied, till the while he came into Naioth in Ramah.

24And Saul also unclothed him of his clothes, and he prophesied with other men before Samuel, and he prophesied naked all that day and night. Wherefore a common saying went out, Whether and Saul be among [the] prophets?