1 Samuel 19

• 1. Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his close friendship with David,
• 2. told him what his father was planning. "Tomorrow morning," he warned him, "you must find a hiding place out in the fields.
• 3. I'll ask my father to go out there with me, and I'll talk to him about you. Then I'll tell you everything I can find out."
• 4. The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. "Please don't sin against David," Jonathan pleaded. "He's never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could.
• 5. Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the LORD brought a great victory to Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!"
• 6. So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, "As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be killed."
• 7. Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he took David to see Saul, and everything was as it had been before.
• 8. War broke out shortly after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away.
• 9. But one day as Saul was sitting at home, the tormenting spirit from the LORD suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp for the king,
• 10. Saul hurled his spear at David in an attempt to kill him. But David dodged out of the way and escaped into the night, leaving the spear stuck in the wall.
• 11. Then Saul sent troops to watch David's house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't get away tonight, you will be dead by morning."
• 12. So she helped him climb out through a window, and he escaped.
• 13. Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat's hair at its head.
• 14. When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn't get out of bed.
• 15. "Then bring him to me in his bed," Saul ordered, "so I can kill him as he lies there!" And he sent them back to David's house.
• 16. But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat's hair at its head.
• 17. "Why have you tricked me and let my enemy escape?" Saul demanded of Michal. "I had to," Michal replied. "He threatened to kill me if I didn't help him."
• 18. So David got away and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth.
• 19. When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah,
• 20. he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel and the other prophets prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men, and they also began to prophesy.
• 21. When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time!
• 22. Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. "Where are Samuel and David?" he demanded. "They are at Naioth in Ramah," someone told him.
• 23. But on the way to Naioth the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy!
• 24. He tore off his clothes and lay on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, "What? Is Saul a prophet, too?"

1 Samuel 20

• 1. David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. "What have I done?" he exclaimed. "What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?"
• 2. "That's not true!" Jonathan protested. "I'm sure he's not planning any such thing, for he always tells me everything he's going to do, even the little things. I know he wouldn't hide something like this from me. It just isn't so!"
• 3. Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, "Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, `I won't tell Jonathan--why should I hurt him?' But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your own soul!"
• 4. "Tell me what I can do!" Jonathan exclaimed.
• 5. David replied, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I've always eaten with your father on this occasion, but tomorrow I'll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day.
• 6. If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.
• 7. If he says, `Fine!' then you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, then you will know he was planning to kill me.
• 8. Show me this kindness as my sworn friend--for we made a covenant together before the LORD--or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don't betray me to him!"
• 9. "Never!" Jonathan exclaimed. "You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once."
• 10. Then David asked, "How will I know whether or not your father is angry?"
• 11. "Come out to the field with me," Jonathan replied. And they went out there together.
• 12. Then Jonathan told David, "I promise by the LORD, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know.
• 13. But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the LORD kill me if I don't warn you so you can escape and live. May the LORD be with you as he used to be with my father.
• 14. And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die,
• 15. treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies."
• 16. So Jonathan made a covenant with David, saying, "May the LORD destroy all your enemies!"
• 17. And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself.
• 18. Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty.
• 19. The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile.
• 20. I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target.
• 21. Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, `They're on this side,' then you will know, as surely as the LORD lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble.
• 22. But if I tell him, `Go farther--the arrows are still ahead of you,' then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the LORD is sending you away.
• 23. And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them."
• 24. So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat.
• 25. He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David's place was empty.
• 26. Saul didn't say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, "Something must have made David ceremonially unclean. Yes, that must be why he's not here."
• 27. But when David's place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse been here for dinner either yesterday or today?"
• 28. Jonathan replied, "David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem.
• 29. He wanted to take part in a family sacrifice. His brother demanded that he be there, so I told him he could go. That's why he isn't here."
• 30. Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. "You stupid son of a whore!" he swore at him. "Do you think I don't know that you want David to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother?
• 31. As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you'll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!"
• 32. "But what has he done?" Jonathan demanded. "Why should he be put to death?"
• 33. Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.
• 34. Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat all that day, for he was crushed by his father's shameful behavior toward David.
• 35. The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.
• 36. "Start running," he told the boy, "so you can find the arrows as I shoot them." So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
• 37. When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, "The arrow is still ahead of you.
• 38. Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master.
• 39. He, of course, didn't understand what Jonathan meant; only Jonathan and David knew.
• 40. Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to the city.
• 41. As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.
• 42. At last Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have made a pact in the LORD's name. We have entrusted each other and each other's children into the LORD's hands forever." Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the city.

1 Samuel 21

• 1. David went to the city of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. "Why are you alone?" he asked. "Why is no one with you?"
• 2. "The king has sent me on a private matter," David said. "He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later.
• 3. Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have."
• 4. "We don't have any regular bread," the priest replied. "But there is the holy bread, which I guess you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently."
• 5. "Don't worry," David replied. "I never allow my men to be with women when they are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!"
• 6. So, since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread--the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the LORD in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.
• 7. Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief herdsman, was there that day for ceremonial purification.
• 8. David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword? The king's business was so urgent that I didn't even have time to grab a weapon!"
• 9. "I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah," the priest replied. "It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here.There is nothing like it!" David replied. "Give it to me!"
• 10. So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath.
• 11. But Achish's officers weren't happy about his being there. "Isn't this David, the king of the land?" they asked. "Isn't he the one the people honor with dances, singing, `Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?"
• 12. David heard these comments and was afraid of what King Achish might do to him.
• 13. So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.
• 14. Finally, King Achish said to his men, "Must you bring me a madman?
• 15. We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?"

New Living Translation: 88 of 324 days.