Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and one kid, and sent them to Saul along with his son David.

David went to Saul and began to serve him. Saul loved him very much, and he became his armor bearer.

Saul sent a messenger to Jesse to tell him, "Allow David to serve me, because I'm pleased with him."

Whenever an evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the lyre and play it. Relief would come to Saul and he would be better, because the evil spirit would leave him.

Saul and the Israelis assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they set up their forces to meet the Philistines.

He stood still and called out to the ranks of Israel, "Why should you move into position for battle? Am I not a Philistine and you Saul's servants? Choose a man for yourselves to come down against me.

When Saul and all the Israelis heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very frightened.

David was the son of that Ephrathite man named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons; at the time when Saul was king he was old, having lived to an advanced age.

The three oldest sons of Jesse followed Saul into battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were his firstborn Eliab, Abinadab, his second son, and Shammah, the third.

David was the youngest, while the three oldest had followed Saul.

And David would go back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines."

When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him.

David told Saul, "Let no one's courage fail because of him; your servant will go fight this Philistine."

Saul told David, "You can't go against this Philistine and fight him. You are only a young man, but he has been a warrior since his youth."

David told Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

David continued, "The LORD who delivered me from the power of the lion and the power of the bear will also deliver me from the power of this Philistine." Saul told David, "Go! And may the LORD be with you."

Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.

David strapped Saul's sword over his garments and tried to walk, but he was not used to the armor. David told Saul, "I can't walk in these because I'm not used to them," and then took them off.

When Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" Abner said, "As surely as you live, your majesty, I don't know."

When David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.

Saul told him, "Whose son are you, young man?" David said, "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

When David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan became a close friend to David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

Saul took David that day and did not let him return to his father's house.

David went out and was successful everywhere Saul sent him, and Saul put him in charge of the troops. This pleased the entire army, as well as Saul's officials.

When David returned from defeating the Philistine, as they were entering the city, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul, singing and dancing as they joyously played tambourines and lyres.

As the women sang and played, they said, "Saul has struck down his thousands but David his ten thousands."

Saul was very angry and he did not like what the women sang. He told himself, "They have attributed tens of thousands to David, but to me they have attributed thousands. What else can he have but the kingdom?"

From then on Saul kept his eye on David.

The next day, while David was playing the lyre as he had before, the evil spirit from the LORD attacked Saul, and he began to rave inside the house with a spear in his hand.

Saul hurled it, thinking, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David escaped from him twice.

Now Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him and had departed from Saul.

Saul removed David from his presence and made him an officer over a division of soldiers. So David led the troops in battle.

When Saul saw that David was highly successful, he feared him.

Saul told David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I'll give her to you as a wife. Just be an excellent soldier for me and fight the LORD's battles." Now Saul told himself, "I won't harm him myself. Instead, I'll let the Philistines harm him."

David told Saul, "Who am I and what is my life or my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

And when the time came to give Saul's daughter Merab to David, she was given as a wife to Adriel of Meholah.

Saul's daughter Michal loved David. Saul was informed of this and he liked the idea.

Saul told himself, "I'll give her to him and she can be a snare to him and the Philistines will harm him." So Saul told David, "For a second time you can be my son-in-law today."

Saul commanded his officials, "Speak with David privately and say, "Look, the king delights in you, and all his officials love you. Now become the king's son-in-law.'"

Saul's officials delivered this message to David, and he asked, "Is becoming the king's son-in-law an unimportant thing to you? I'm a poor and unimportant man."

Saul's officials reported to him: "This is what David said."

Saul said, "This is what you are to tell David, "The king desires no bride price except 100 Philistine foreskins to take vengeance on the king's enemies.'" Now Saul thought he would cause David to die at the hand of the Philistines.

David got up, went out with his men, and struck down 200 Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and gave them all to the king so he could become the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife.

As Saul continued to observe, he realized that the LORD was with David and that Saul's daughter Michal loved him.

Then Saul was even more afraid of David, and Saul was David's enemy from that time on.

The Philistine commanders would go out to fight and whenever they did, David was more successful than any of Saul's other leaders. His name was held in high esteem.

Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officials to kill David, but Saul's son Jonathan was very fond of David.

So Jonathan told David, "My father Saul is trying to kill you. In the morning be careful and stay hidden in a secret place.

Jonathan spoke to his father Saul favorably about David. "The king shouldn't wrong his servant David because he has not wronged you and because what he has done has been very beneficial for you.

Saul listened to Jonathan, and swore by the life of the LORD that David would not be killed.

Jonathan summoned David and told him all this. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David served him as before.

The evil spirit from the LORD attacked Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand and David was playing the lyre.

Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he jumped away from Saul and the spear stuck in the wall. That night David escaped and fled.

Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him so they could kill him in the morning. David's wife, Michal, told him, "If you don't escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be put to death."

When Saul sent the messengers to take David, Michal said, "He's sick."

Then Saul sent messengers to check on David. He told them, "Bring him to me on the bed so I may kill him."

Then Saul told Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and let my enemy go so he could escape?" Michal told Saul, "He told me, "Let me go or I'll kill you!'"

David escaped and fled. He came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth.

It was reported to Saul saying, "David is at Naioth in Ramah right now."

Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw a group of prophets caught up in prophetic ecstasy, with Samuel standing beside them leading them. Then the Spirit of God came on Saul's messengers, and they also were caught up in prophetic ecstasy.

They reported this to Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also were caught up in prophetic ecstasy.

Then Saul himself went to Ramah, and he arrived at the large well that is in Secu. He asked, "Where are Samuel and David?"

Someone replied, "They're at Naioth in Ramah." Saul went to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came on him also. He continued in prophetic ecstasy until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

He also removed his clothes and was caught up in prophetic ecstasy right in front of Samuel! He fell down naked and remained there all that day and all night. That is why people say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

The king sat down at his place as before, in the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood while Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.

Saul didn't say anything that day because he told himself, "Something has happened; he's unclean; surely he's not clean."

But the next day, on the second day of the New Moon, David's place was empty, and so Saul told his son Jonathan, "Why didn't Jesse's son come to the festival, either yesterday or today?"

Jonathan answered Saul, "David urgently requested that I let him go to Bethlehem.

Saul flew into a rage and told Jonathan, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have chosen Jesse's son to your shame and to the shame of your mother who bore you?

Jonathan asked his father Saul, "Why should he be killed? What did he do?"

Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David.

Now, Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul's officials, was there that day, detained in the LORD's presence. He was the chief of Saul's shepherds.

David got up that day and fled from Saul, and he went to King Achish of Gath.

The officials of Achish told him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Isn't this the one about whom they sang as they danced, "Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his ten thousands'?"

When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been found, he was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the hill, with his spear in his hand. All his officials were standing around him.

Saul told his officials who were standing around him, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Will Jesse's son also give fields and vineyards to all of you? Will he make all of you officers over thousands and officers over hundreds?

Then Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul's servants answered: "I saw Jesse's son coming to Nob to Ahitub's son Ahimelech.

Saul said, "Listen, son of Ahitub!" And he said, "Here I am, your majesty."

Then Saul asked him, "Why have you conspired against me you and Jesse's son by giving him food and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him, so he can rise up against me to lie in wait, as he's doing today?"

Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.

David told Abiathar, "I knew on that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would certainly tell Saul! I'm responsible for the deaths of your father's whole family.

It was reported to Saul that David had come to Keilah, and Saul said, "The LORD has delivered him into my hand because he has shut himself in by going into a town with double gates and bars."

Saul summoned for battle all his forces to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

David knew that Saul was devising evil plans against him, and so he told Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."

David said, "LORD God of Israel. Your servant has definitely heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me.

Will the people of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please inform your servant." The LORD said, "He will come down."

Then David said, "Will the people of Keilah hand me over to Saul?"

The LORD said, "They'll hand you over." David and his men, about 600 strong, got up and left Keilah. They moved around wherever they could go. Saul was advised that David had escaped from Keilah, so he stopped the campaign.

David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and he lived in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not let David slip into Saul's control.

David was afraid because Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.

Saul's son Jonathan got up and went to David at Horesh, and he encouraged him to trust in God.

Jonathan told him, "Don't be afraid. My father Saul won't find you, and you will be king over Israel. I'll be your second-in-command. My father Saul also knows this."

People from Ziph came up to Saul at Gibeah and informed him, "David is hiding with us in the strongholds in Horesh and on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon, isn't he?

Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, because you have been gracious to me.

The people from Ziph got up and left Saul, while David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.

When Saul and his men went to search for David, some people told David, and he went down to the Rock of Escape and remained in the wilderness of Maon. Saul heard this and he pursued David into the wilderness of Maon.

Saul went on one side of the mountain while David and his men went on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.

Then a messenger came to Saul with this news: "Come quickly, because the Philistines have made a raid on the land!"

So Saul turned around from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines. Therefore, they call that place the Rock of Escape.