Study Desk

So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.

So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

"I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."

When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed,

David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped.

Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him."

Saul said to Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?" Michal told him, "He said to me, 'Let me get away. Why should I kill you?' "

so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they also prophesied.

So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth.

"Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without confiding in me. Why would he hide this from me? It's not so!"

So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.

"Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together.

But if my father is inclined to harm you, may the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away safely. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father.

But show me unfailing kindness like that of the LORD as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD call David's enemies to account."

So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.

David replied, "Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men's things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!"

So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.