And David went out wherever Saul sent him, behaving himself wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

And it happened as they came in, as David returned from striking the Philistine, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.

And Saul was very angry, and this thing was evil in his eyes. And he said, They have given David ten thousands, and to me they have given only thousands. And what more can he have but the kingdom?

And it happened on the next day the evil spirit from God came on Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David played with his hand, as at other times. And a spear was in Saul's hand.

And Saul moved him away from himself, and made him his commander over a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people.

And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways. And Jehovah was with him.

And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

And Saul said to David, Behold I will give you my older daughter Merab for a wife. Only you be a brave son for me and fight Jehovah's battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.

And David said to 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?

And it happened at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to be his wife.

And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a trap to him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. And Saul said to David a second time, Today you shall be my son-in-law.

And Saul commanded his servants, Talk with David secretly and say, Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you. And now be the king's son-in-law.

And Saul's servants spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, Is it a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and of little worth?

And when his servants told David these words, it was right in the eyes of David to be the king's son-in-law. And the days were not fulfilled.

And David arose and went forth, he and his men. And they killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king so that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife.

But Jonathan, Saul's son, loved David very much. And Jonathan told David, saying, My father Saul seeks to kill you. And now please be careful until morning, and stay in a secret place, and hide yourself.

And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk about you with my father. And I will tell you what I see.

For he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine, and Jehovah worked out a great salvation for all Israel. You saw and rejoiced! Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?

And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.

And the evil spirit from Jehovah was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David played with his hand.

Saul also sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And David's wife Michal told him saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you shall be killed.

And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with a cloth.

And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed so that I may kill him.

And the messengers came in, and behold, the image was in the bed with a pillow of goats' hair at its head.

And 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 lived in Naioth.

And it was told to Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.

And Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

And he also went to Ramah, and came to a great well in Sechu. And he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, at Naioth in Ramah.

And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God was on him also, and going on he went and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?

And David swore again and said, Your father certainly knows that I have found grace in your eyes. And he said, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be full of sorrow. But truly as Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, only a step is between me and death.

And David said to Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go so that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at evening.

And you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Jehovah with you. But if there is any iniquity in me, kill me yourself. For why should you bring me to your father?

And Jonathan said, Far be it from you. For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come on you, then would I not tell you?

And Jonathan said to David, By Jehovah, the God of Israel, when I search my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, then shall I not send to you and reveal it in your ear?

So may Jehovah do to Jonathan and more if it seem good to my father to do you evil, then I will reveal it in your ear and send you away, and you may go in peace. And may Jehovah be with you, as He was with my father.

but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when Jehovah has cut off the enemies of David, every one, from the face of the earth.

And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him. For he loved him as he loved his own soul.

And on the third day you shall quickly come down and shall come there to the place where you were hidden in the day of the deed. And you shall remain near the stone Ezel.

And I will shoot three arrows on the side, as though I shot at a mark.

And behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go find the arrows. If I carefully say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, take them, then you may come, for there is peace to you, and no hurt, as Jehovah lives.

And David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon had come, the king sat down by the food to eat.

And the king sat on his seat as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.

And it happened on the next day, the second of the month, David's place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why does the son of Jesse not come to the meal, neither yesterday nor today?

and he said, Please send me away, for we have a family sacrifice in the city. And my brother commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, I pray you let me get away and see my brothers. And he does not come to the king's table.

And Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own confusion, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. And now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.

And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon. For he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to shame.

And it happened, in the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David. And a little lad was with him.

And he said to this lad, Run now, find the arrows which I shoot. As the lad ran, he shot an arrow, causing it to pass over him.

And when the lad had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad and said, Is not the arrow beyond you?

As soon as the lad had gone, David rose from the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another, and wept with one another, until David exceeded.

And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace because we have both sworn in the name of Jehovah, saying, The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever. And he rose and went away. And Jonathan went into the city.

And therefore, what is under your hand? Give five loaves of bread in my hand, or what there is to be found.

And David answered the priest and said to him, Truly women have been kept from us for about three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and in a way the holy bread is common. Also surely today it is sanctified in the vessels.

And the priest gave him holy bread. For there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence that was taken from before Jehovah, in order to put hot bread in on the day when it was taken away.

And a man from the servants of Saul was there that day, held before Jehovah. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth under the ephod, if you will take, take it for yourself, for there is no other here except that one. And David said, There is none like that. Give it to me.

And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

And David laid up these words in his heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

And he changed his behavior before them, and pretended himself to be mad in their hands, and marked on the doors of the gate and let his spittle fall down on his beard.

Do I have need of mad men, that you have brought this one to show madness in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?

And every man in distress, and every man who had a creditor, and every man bitter of soul, gathered themselves to him. And he became commander over them. And about four hundred men were with him.

And he brought them before the king of Moab. And they lived with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

And the prophet Gad said to David, Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave and go into the land of Judah. And David left and came into the forest of Hareth.

And Saul heard that David and the men with him had been discovered. And Saul was staying in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand. And all his servants were standing about him.

But all of you have conspired against me, and none of you was revealing in my ear when my son cut a covenant with the son of Jesse? And not one of you is sorry for me, even to reveal in my ear that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as today.

And the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests in Nob. And they came, all of them, to the king.

And Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have asked of God for him, that he should rise against me to lie in wait, as at this day?

And Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who is so faithful among all your servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and who goes at your bidding, and who is honorable in your house?

And the king said to the guard that stood around him, Turn and kill the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not reveal it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall on the priests of Jehovah.

And the king said to Doeg, You turn and fall on the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned and fell on the priests. And on that day he killed eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod.

And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

And David said to Abiathar, I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house.

Stay with me, and do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life. But you shall be in safekeeping with me.

And David's men said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

And it happened when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

And it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, God has delivered him into my hands, for he is shut in by entering into a town that has gates and bars.

And David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in the stronghold in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul looked for him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a woods.

And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.

And the two of them cut a covenant before Jehovah. And David stayed in the forest, and Jonathan went to his house.

And the men of Ziph came up to Saul, to Gibeah, saying, Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the forest, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the wilderness?

And Saul said, Blessed are you from Jehovah, for you have pity on me.

And see and know of all the hiding places where he hides himself there, and return to me prepared. And I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain, on the south of the desert.

Saul and his men also went to look for him. And they told David. And he came down from the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard, he followed after David in the wilderness of Maon.

And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain. And David hurried to get away before Saul. For Saul and his men were encircling David and his men, to take them.

And David went up from there and stayed in strongholds at En-gedi.

And it happened when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, they told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.

And Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the front of the rocks of the wild goats.

And he came to the folds of the flock on the way, where there was a cave. And Saul went in to cover his feet. And David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

And David held back his men with words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way.

Behold, your eyes have seen today how Jehovah had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. And one said to kill you. But I had pity on you. And I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is Jehovah's anointed.

And, my father, behold! Yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand. For in that I cut off the skirt of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my soul to take it.

May Jehovah judge between me and you, and may Jehovah avenge me of you. But my hand shall not be on you.

As the ancient proverb says, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked. But my hand shall not be on you.

And it happened when David had made an end of speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.