1 Kings 19

¹And Saul spake to Jonathas his Son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. Moreover Jonathas the son of Saul loved David exceedingly.

²And Jonathas told David, saying: Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: wherefore look to thyself I beseech thee in the morning, and thou shalt abide secretly, and shalt be hid.

³But I going forth will stand beside my father, in the field wheresoever he shall be: and I will speak of thee to my father, and whatsoever I shall see, I will tell thee.

⁴Jonathas therefore spake good words of David to Saul his father, and said to him: Sin not, o king, against thy servant David, because he hath not sinned toward thee, and his works are very good for thee.

⁵And he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistian, and our Lord made great salvation to all Israel. Thou hast seen & didst rejoice, why therefore sinnest thou in innocent blood killing David, who is without fault?

⁶Which when Saul had heard, being pacified with the voice of Jonathas, he sware: Our Lord liveth, he shall not be slain.

⁷Jonathas therefore called David and shewed him all these words, and Jonathas brought in David to Saul, and he was before him, as he had been yesterday and the day before.

⁸And there was battle raised again, and David going forth, fought against the Philistiims, and struck them with a great slaughter, and they fled from his face.

⁹And the evil spirit of our Lord came upon Saul, and he sat in his house, and held a spear: moreover David played with his hand.

¹⁰And Saul endeavoured to nail David to the wall with his spear. And David declined from the face of Saul: and the spear without making wound pierced the wall, & David fled, and was saved that night.

¹¹Saul therefore sent of his guard into David's house, that they should keep him, & that he might be killed in the morning: Which when Michol his wife had told David, saying: Unless thou save thyself this night, tomorrow thou shalt die:

¹²she let him down through a window. Moreover he went and fled away, and was saved.

¹³And Michol took a statua, and put it upon the bed, and a hairy skin of goats she laid at the head thereof, and covered it with garments.

¹⁴And Saul sent sergeants, that should take away David by force, and it was answered that he was sick.

¹⁵And again Saul sent messengers to see David, saying: Bring him to me in the bed, that he may be slain.

¹⁶And when the messengers were come, there was found a statua upon the bed, & skins of goats at the head thereof.

¹⁷And Saul said to Michol: Why hast thou mocked me, and let go mine enemy that he might fly? And Michol answered Saul: Because he said to me: Let me go, otherwise I will kill thee.

¹⁸But David flying was saved, and came to Samuel in Ramatha, & told him all things that Saul had done to him: and he and Samuel went and abode in Najoth.

¹⁹And it was told Saul by some saying: Behold David is in Najoth in Ramatha.

²⁰Saul therefore sent sergeants to take away David: who when they had seen a troop of Prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing over them, the spirit of our Lord came also on them, and they also began to prophesy.

²¹Which when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers: but they also did prophesy. And again Saul sent the third messengers: who also prophesied. And Saul being wrath for anger,

²²went also himself into Ramatha, and came as far as the great cistern, which is in Socho, and asked, and said: In what place are Samuel and David? And it was told him: Lo they are in Najoth in Ramatha.

²³And he went into Najoth in Ramatha, and the Spirit of our Lord came upon him, and he walked going, and he prophesied till he came into Najoth in Ramatha.

²⁴And he stripped himself of his garments, and prophesied with the rest before Samuel, and sang naked all that day and night. Whereupon there went out also a proverb: What is Saul also among the Prophets.