1 Samuel 19 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Then Saul instructed his son Jonathan and all his officials to kill David. But Jonathan really liked David,
1 Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David.
2 so he warned him, “My father Saul is trying to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning—find a place to hide and stay hidden.
2 Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, live in a secret place, and hide yourself.
3 I'll go out with my father and stand in the field near to where you are hiding. I'll talk to him about you and see what I can find out, then I'll let you know.”
3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk with my father about you; and if I see anything, I will tell you.”
4 Then Jonathan spoke positively about David to his father Saul, and told him, “The king should not do anything bad to his servant David because he's not done anything bad to you—he has always served you well.
4 Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Don’t let the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you;
5 He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine, and the Lord brought about great salvation for the whole of Israel. You saw it and you were delighted, so why would you sin and spill innocent blood by killing David without having any reason?”
5 for he put his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh worked a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”
6 Saul accepted what Jonathan had to say, and promised with an oath: “I swear on the life of the Lord, he won't be put to death.”
6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore, “As Yahweh lives, he shall not be put to death.”
7 Later Jonathan called David and told him all that had been said. Then he took him to Saul, and David worked for Saul as he had before.
7 Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
8 War broke out once again, and David went to fight the Philistines. He attacked them so forcefully that they ran away in defeat.
8 There was war again. David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.
9 A while later an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. As David played the lyre,
9 An evil spirit from Yahweh was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing music with his hand.
10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear. David managed to dodge the spear which embedded itself in the wall. Then David escaped and ran away into the night.
10 Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence; and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night.
11 Saul sent some messengers to David's house to keep watch and kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, “If you don't get away tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed.”
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
12 Michal lowered David down from a window, and he ran off, managing to escape.
12 So Michal let David down through the window. He went away, fled, and escaped.
13 Then she took a home idol and laid it in the bed, put a goat hair wig on its head, and covered it with bedclothes.
13 Michal took the teraphim and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with clothes.
14 When Saul sent the messengers to arrest David, Michal told them, “He's sick.”
14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
15 Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him to me in the bed so I can kill him.”
15 Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”
16 But when the messengers went into the bedroom, there was the idol in the bed with the goat hair wig on its head.
16 When the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head.
17 “Why did you trick me like this—helping my enemy get away so he could escape?” Saul asked Michal. “He told me, ‘Get out of my way! I don't want to have to kill you!’” Michal replied.
17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”
18 This is how David got away and escaped. He went to Samuel at Ramah and explained to him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to stay in Naioth.
18 Now David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.
19 When Saul got to hear that David was at Naioth in Ramah,
19 Saul was told, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
20 he sent messengers to arrest him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel leading out, the Spirit of God came on Saul's messengers and they started prophesying too.
20 Saul sent messengers to seize David; and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, God’s Spirit came on Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied.
21 Saul was told what had happened, so he sent more messengers, and they started prophesying as well.
21 When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
22 For the third time Saul sent messengers, and they also started prophesying.
22 Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” One said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”
23 In the end Saul went himself to Ramah and arrived at the large cistern at Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he asked. “At Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him. So Saul went on to Naioth at Ramah, but the Spirit of God even came on him, and he was prophesying as he walked along until he arrived in Naioth.
23 He went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then God’s Spirit came on him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 Then Saul also took off his clothes and he too prophesied in Samuel's presence. Then he fell down and lay there naked all that day and all that night. That's why it is said, “Is Saul one of the prophets too?”
24 He also stripped off his clothes. He also prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
David
The shepherd who became Israel's greatest king and a man after God's own heart.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16 - 1 Kings 2; 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 2:15; Matt. 1:6
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 18:9
- 2 Proverbs 17:17; Acts 9:24; Acts 23:16; 1 Samuel 20:2; 1 Samuel 18:1–3
- 3 1 Samuel 20:13; 1 Samuel 20:9
- 4 Jeremiah 18:20; Proverbs 31:8–9; Genesis 42:22; 1 Samuel 20:32; Proverbs 17:13
- 5 1 Chronicles 11:14; 1 Samuel 11:13; 1 Samuel 20:32; Judges 9:17; Matthew 27:4
- 6 Proverbs 26:24–25; Jeremiah 5:2; 1 Samuel 28:10; 1 Samuel 19:10–11; Psalm 15:4
- 7 1 Samuel 18:2; 1 Samuel 16:21; 1 Samuel 18:13; 1 Samuel 18:10; 1 Chronicles 11:2
- 8 Psalm 18:32–50; Psalm 27:3
- 9 1 Samuel 16:14; 1 Samuel 16:16; 1 Samuel 18:10–11
- 10 1 Samuel 20:33; 1 Samuel 18:11; Proverbs 21:30; Matthew 10:23; Psalm 34:19
- 11 Psalm 59:1–17; Judges 16:2
- 12 Joshua 2:15; Acts 9:24–25; 2 Corinthians 11:32–33; Psalm 34:19
- 13 Genesis 31:19; Judges 18:17; Judges 18:14; Judges 17:5; Hosea 3:4
- 14 Joshua 2:5; 2 Samuel 17:20; 2 Samuel 16:17–19
- 15 Proverbs 27:3–4; 1 Samuel 19:6; Job 31:31; Psalm 37:12; Romans 3:15
- 17 2 Samuel 2:22; Exodus 1:17–19; 1 Samuel 22:17; 1 Samuel 28:12; 1 Samuel 19:14
- 18 1 Samuel 7:17; James 5:16; 1 Samuel 28:3; Psalm 116:11; 1 Samuel 15:34
- 19 1 Samuel 26:1; 1 Samuel 23:19; Proverbs 29:12; 1 Samuel 22:9–10
- 20 Joel 2:28; John 7:32; 1 Samuel 10:5–6; 1 Corinthians 14:24–25; 1 Corinthians 14:3
- 21 Jeremiah 13:23; Proverbs 27:22; 2 Kings 1:9–13; Joel 2:28
- 23 Proverbs 16:9; 1 Samuel 10:10; Numbers 24:2; 1 Samuel 19:20; Numbers 23:5
- 24 1 Samuel 10:10–12; Micah 1:8; 2 Samuel 6:20; Isaiah 20:2; 2 Samuel 6:14
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
There is indeed a story in the Scripture of the Reigns, of the occasion when Saul sent to guard the house in order that he might kill David....But in like manner as Saul effected not his purpose of slaying David: so this could not the government of the Jews effect, that the testimony of guards sleeping should avail more …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)