1 Samuel 19:5-15

5 David risked his life when he killed Goliath the Philistine, and the Lord won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and were happy. Why would you do wrong against David? He's innocent. There's no reason to kill him!"

6 Saul listened to Jonathan and then made this promise: "As surely as the Lord lives, David won't be put to death."

7 So Jonathan called to David and told him everything that had been said. He brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

8 When war broke out again, David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them, and they ran away from him.

9 But once again an evil spirit from the Lord rushed upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing the harp.

10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David jumped out of the way. So Saul's spear went into the wall, and David ran away that night.

11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, saying, "Tonight you must run for your life. If you don't, you will be dead in the morning."

12 So she let David down out of a window, and he ran away and escaped.

13 Then Michal took an idol, laid it on the bed, covered it with clothes, and put goats' hair at its head.

14 Saul sent messengers to take David prisoner, but Michal said, "He is sick."

15 Saul sent them back to see David, saying, "Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him."

1 Samuel 19:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 19

This chapter relates the dangers David was exposed unto through Saul's enmity at him, and his deliverance from them, as by the notice Jonathan gave him of his father's designs against him, and by his kind interposition on his behalf, 1Sa 19:1-7; by David's slipping out of Saul's presence, when he was about to cast a javelin at him, 1Sa 19:8-10; by Michal's letting him down through a window, when Saul sent messengers to kill him, and by deceiving them with an image laid in his bed in the room of him, 1Sa 19:11-17, and again by Samuel's protection of him at Naioth, whither David fled, and where Saul sent messengers after him, and at length came himself; and instead of laying hands on David, both he and the messengers were set a prophesying, 1Sa 19:18-24.