1 And Sha’ul spoke to Yahonathan his son and to all his servants, to put Dawiḏ to death. But Yahonathan, Sha’ul’s son, delighted much in Dawiḏ,
2 and Yahonathan declared to Dawiḏ, saying, “My father Sha’ul seeks to put you to death. And now, please be on your guard until morning, and dwell in secrecy, and hide.
3 “And I myself shall go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and speak with my father about you, and shall see, and shall let you know.”
4 And Yahonathan spoke well of Dawiḏ to Sha’ul his father, and said to him, “Let not the sovereign sin against his servant, against Dawiḏ, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you.
5 “For he took his life in his hands and smote the Pelishtite, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 wrought a great deliverance for all Yisra’ĕl. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then do you sin against innocent blood, to put Dawiḏ to death without cause?”
6 And Sha’ul listened to the voice of Yahonathan, and Sha’ul swore, “As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives, he does not die.”
7 Yahonathan then called Dawiḏ, and Yahonathan told him all these words. So Yahonathan brought Dawiḏ to Sha’ul, and he was in his presence as before.
8 And there was fighting again, and Dawiḏ went out and fought with the Pelishtites, and smote them, a great smiting, and they fled before him.
9 And an evil spirit from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came upon Sha’ul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And Dawiḏ was playing by hand,
10 and Sha’ul sought to smite the spear through Dawiḏ, and into the wall, but he slipped away from the presence of Sha’ul, so he smote the spear into the wall. And Dawiḏ fled and escaped that night.
11 And Sha’ul sent messengers to Dawiḏ’s house to watch him and to put him to death in the morning. And Miḵal, Dawiḏ’s wife, informed him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you are put to death.”
12 So Miḵal let Dawiḏ down through a window, and he went and fled and escaped.
13 And Miḵal took the household idol and laid it in the bed, and put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with a garment.
14 And when Sha’ul sent messengers to take Dawiḏ, she said, “He is sick.”
15 And Sha’ul sent the messengers back to see Dawiḏ, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed to put him to death.”
16 And the messengers came in and saw the household idol in the bed, with a cover of goats’ hair for his head.
17 Sha’ul then said to Miḵal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he escaped?” And Miḵal answered Sha’ul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go, why should I put you to death?’ ”
18 Now Dawiḏ fled and escaped, and went to Shemu’ĕl at Ramah, and told him all that Sha’ul had done to him. And he and Shemu’ĕl went and dwelt in Nawith.
19 And it was reported to Sha’ul, saying, “See, Dawiḏ is in Nawith in Ramah!”
20 And Sha’ul sent messengers to take Dawiḏ. And they saw the assembly of the neḇi’im naḇa, and Shemu’ĕl standing as leader over them, and the Ruaḥ of Elohim came upon the messengers of Sha’ul, and they also naḇu.
21 And when Sha’ul was told, he sent other messengers, and they naḇu likewise. So Sha’ul sent messengers again, the third time, and they naḇu also.
22 Then he himself went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Seḵu. And he asked, and said, “Where are Shemu’ĕl and Dawiḏ?” And one said, “There in Nawith in Ramah.”
23 So he went there to Nawith in Ramah. And the Ruaḥ of Elohim was upon him too, and he went on and naḇu until he came to Nawith in Ramah.
24 And he also stripped off his garments and naḇu before Shemu’ĕl, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Sha’ul also among the neḇi’im?”