1 Samuel 19

¹After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

⁹And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

¹⁷A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

²⁴but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.

¹⁶But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.

²“Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!”

¹After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

²And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.

¹²Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.

¹³So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

¹³But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the Lord punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the Lord be with you, just as He has been with my father.

⁹“Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?”

²⁰Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.

⁸Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed.

⁹Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.

²²And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

³²“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”

¹³If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.

¹⁴Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard and honored in your house?

¹⁴But Eleazar and David stationed themselves in the middle of the field and defended it. They struck down the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹³But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.”

³²“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”

¹⁷for my father fought for you and risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian,

⁴“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”

²¹When the woman came to Saul and saw how distraught he was, she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice. I took my life in my hands and did as you told me.

²⁴A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.

²⁵When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.

²Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”

¹⁰Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: “As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this.”

¹⁰Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

¹¹Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”

⁴who despises the vile but honors those who fear the Lord, who does not revise a costly oath,

³⁹As surely as the Lord who saves Israel lives, even if it is my son Jonathan, he must die!” But not one of the troops said a word.

²And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.

²¹When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer.

¹³Therefore Saul sent David away and gave him command of a thousand men. David led the troops out to battle and back,

¹⁰The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,

²Even in times past, while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And the Lord your God said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”

¹⁰“Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”

³²It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.

³³He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.

³Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust.

¹⁴Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the Lord began to torment him.

¹⁶Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.”

¹⁰The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,

¹¹and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

³³Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.

¹¹and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

³⁰There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the Lord.

²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

¹⁴They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.

¹⁵He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful.

¹For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise against me.

²Deliver me from workers of iniquity, and save me from men of bloodshed.

²When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”

¹⁵Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city.

²⁴but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.

²⁵One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall.

³²In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.

³³But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

¹⁹Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.

¹⁷And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.

¹⁴Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”

⁵Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.

⁴For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol.

⁵At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!”

²⁰When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” “They have crossed over the brook,” she replied. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁷“Is this the loyalty you show your friend?” Absalom replied. “Why did you not go with your friend?”

¹⁸“Not at all,” Hushai answered. “For the one chosen by the Lord, by this people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will remain.

³A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.

⁴Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?

⁶Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.”

³¹if the men of my house have not said, ‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—

¹²The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,

¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

²²Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”

¹⁷The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.

¹⁸So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

¹⁷Then the king ordered the guards at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.

¹²But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

¹⁴When Saul sent the messengers to seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

¹⁶Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

¹⁷Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the Lord.

¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

³Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

¹¹In my alarm I said, “All men are liars!”

³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.

¹Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?”

¹⁹Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?

¹²If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.

⁹But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.

¹⁰Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

²⁸And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

³²When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

⁵After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.

⁶Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.

²⁴But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all,

²⁵and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”

³But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.

¹⁰When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.

²³Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good—you who are accustomed to doing evil.

²²Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and a pestle, yet his folly will not depart from him.

⁹Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’”

¹⁰Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.

²⁸And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

⁹A man’s heart plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

¹⁰When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.

²When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him,

²⁰he sent messengers to seize him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy.

⁵Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”

²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

¹⁰When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.

¹¹When all those who had formerly known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

⁸Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and mourn like an ostrich.

²⁰When David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.”

²the Lord had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot.

¹⁴And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the Lord,

⁴the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open: