Saul Tries to Kill David (Psalm 59:1–17)
1 UST Then Saul urged all his officers and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much. BSB BSB: Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David,
2 UST So he warned David,“My father Saul is looking for a way to kill you. So please be very careful. Tomorrow morning, find a place to hide{ in the field} and do not come out{ unless I tell you it is safe}. BSB BSB: so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there.
3 UST I will ask my father to go out with me into the field where you are hiding. While we are there, I will talk to him about you. I will find out what he intends to do to you. Then I will tell you everything I learn.”{ So David did what Jonathan told him to do.} BSB BSB: I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, so I can ask about you. And if I find out anything, I will tell you.”
4 UST The next morning, Jonathan spoke with his father Saul{ in the field}. He said many good things about David. He told his father,“Please do not do anything to harm David, who serves you faithfully. That would be a sin. David has never done anything to harm you. Everything he has done has helped you very much. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.
5 UST He risked his life when he fought against Goliath, the great soldier of the Philistine army. By enabling David to kill him, Yahweh won a great victory for all the people of Israel. You were very happy when you saw that. There is no reason for you to kill David. You should not do that. It would be sinning by killing an innocent man.” BSB BSB: He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”
6 UST What Jonathan said persuaded Saul. Saul swore by Yahweh that he would not kill David. BSB BSB: Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.”
7 UST { Then Saul left, and} Jonathan called to David{ to come out of his hiding place}. Jonathan told him that Saul had sworn he would not kill him. Then Jonathan brought David back to Saul, and David served Saul personally as he had done before. BSB BSB: So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.
8 UST But then the Philistines attacked the Israelites again. David led his soldiers to fight against the Philistine army. David’ s soldiers killed many of the Philistine soldiers, and as a result, the rest of the Philistine army ran away. BSB BSB: When war broke out again, David went out and fought the Philistines and struck them with such a mighty blow that they fled before him.
9 UST { This made Saul very jealous again. As a result,} one day when Saul was sitting in his house, the troubling spirit that Yahweh had sent began to distress him again. Saul was holding his royal spear, and David was playing the harp for him. BSB BSB: But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp,
10 UST Saul hurled his spear hard enough at David that it would have gone through him into the wall behind him and pinned him there. But David jumped aside so that the spear did not hit him. It stuck in the wall instead. David escaped by running out into the darkness. BSB BSB: Saul 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.
11 UST Then Saul sent some soldiers to David’ s house. He told them to see whether David was in the house and to kill him when he left the house the following morning. But David’ s wife Michal{ knew about this and} warned him. She told him,“In order to save your life, you must run away tonight. If you do not do that, some soldiers will kill you tomorrow!” BSB BSB: Then 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!”
12 UST Then she lowered David out a window{ since the soldiers were watching the door}, and he escaped by running away from the house. BSB BSB: So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 UST Then Michal took a large statue that was in the house and put it in the bed. She covered it with David’ s cloak{ as if he were sleeping under his cloak as a blanket}, and she put some goat’ s hair around the head of the statue{ to make it look like a human head}. BSB BSB: Then Michal took a household idol and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment.
14 UST { The soldiers did not see David leaving the house in the morning, so they reported that to Saul.} Saul then sent soldiers to{ enter the house and} bring David back to him. But{ when they came to the door,} Michal told them that David was{ so} sick{ that he could not get out of bed}. BSB BSB: When Saul sent the messengers to seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.”
15 UST { When the soldiers reported that,} Saul told them to enter David’ s house and see whether he was really sick. He told them,“{ If you have to,} pick up the whole bed he is lying on and use that to carry him back here to me. That way I can kill him!” BSB BSB: But Saul sent the messengers back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I can kill him.”
16 UST But when those soldiers entered David’ s house, they found that there was only a statue in his bed, with goat’ s hair around its head. BSB BSB: And when the messengers entered, there was the idol in the bed with the goat hair on its head.
17 UST { When they reported that to Saul, he summoned Michal to come to him.} Saul said to her,“Why did you trick me like that? You allowed my enemy to escape!” Michal replied to Saul,“David told me that if I did not let him escape, he would kill me!{ So I had to let him escape.}” BSB BSB: And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away, and he has escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’”
18 UST After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel, who was at his home in Ramah. He told Samuel everything that Saul had done to try to kill him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth, which was nearby, and they stayed there. BSB BSB: So David ran away and escaped. And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.
19 UST Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth near the city of Ramah. BSB BSB: When Saul was told that David was at Naioth in Ramah,
20 UST So Saul sent some soldiers to capture David.{ When those soldiers arrived in Ramah,} they met some prophets who were speaking and singing as God inspired them. Samuel was there as their leader. The Spirit of God influenced the soldiers whom Saul had sent, and they began to speak and sing themselves{ instead of trying to capture David}. BSB BSB: he 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.
21 UST When Saul heard about that, he sent another group of soldiers to capture David.{ But when those soldiers met those prophets, the Spirit of God influenced them too,} and they also sang and spoke{ instead of trying to capture David}.{ When Saul heard about that,} he sent one more group of soldiers to capture David. But the same thing happened to them. BSB BSB: When this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well. So Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they began to prophesy.
22 UST Finally Saul himself went to Ramah. He went to the big well at the place that people call Secu, and he asked{ the people who had gathered there to draw water},“Where are Samuel and David?” The people replied,“You will find them at Naioth, near Ramah.” BSB BSB: Finally, Saul himself left for Ramah and came to the large cistern at Secu, where he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “At Naioth in Ramah,” he was told.
23 UST So Saul started walking toward Ramah to go to Naioth. While he was still on his way there, the Spirit of God influenced him as well, and he spoke and sang all the way to Naioth near Ramah. BSB BSB: So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. But the Spirit of God came upon even Saul, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 UST There he also took off his outer clothes, and he spoke and sang in front of Samuel. He lay on the ground uncovered all day and all night. That is the reason why{, when people see someone doing something unexpected,} they say,“Is Saul also a prophet?” BSB BSB: Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
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