¹ And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David; but Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David.

² And Jonathan told David, saying: 'Saul my father seeketh to slay thee; now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself.

³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will speak with my father of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee.'

⁴ And Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him: 'Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his work hath been very good towards thee;

⁵ for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and HaShem wrought a great victory for all Israel; thou sawest it, and didst rejoice; wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?'

⁶ And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore: 'As HaShem liveth, he shall not be put to death.'

⁷ And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as beforetime.

⁸ And there was war again; and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.

⁹ And an evil spirit from HaShem was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.

¹⁰ And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall; and David fled, and escaped that night.

¹¹ And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David's wife told him, saying: 'If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou shalt be slain.'

¹² So Michal let David down through the window; and he went, and fled, and escaped.

¹³ And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a quilt of goats' hair at the head thereof, and covered it with a cloth.

¹⁴ And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said: 'He is sick.'

¹⁵ And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying: 'Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.'

¹⁶ And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the quilt of goats' hair at the head thereof.

¹⁷ And Saul said unto Michal: 'Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, that he is escaped?' And Michal answered Saul: 'He said unto me: Let me go; why should I kill thee?'

¹⁸ Now 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 dwelt in Naioth.

¹⁹ And it was told Saul, saying: 'Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.'

²⁰ And Saul sent messengers to take David; and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of G-d came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

²¹ And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.

²² Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great cistern that is in Secu; and he asked and said: 'Where are Samuel and David?' And one said: 'Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.'

²³ And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah; and the spirit of G-d came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

²⁴ And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say: 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'