Event 4 of 6

The Story of Saul

WEBWorld English Bible — Protestant Edition

Jealousy of David

Saul is troubled and David plays the lyre for him. After David's victories Saul becomes jealous and tries to kill him, pursuing him through the wilderness.

53 verses to read

1 Samuel 16:14–23 WEB

¹⁴Now the LORD’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. ¹⁵Saul’s servants said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. ¹⁶Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.” ¹⁷Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” ¹⁸Then one of the young men answered and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.” ¹⁹Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” ²⁰Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by David his son to Saul. ²¹David came to Saul and stood before him. He loved him greatly; and he became his armor bearer. ²²Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” ²³When the spirit from God was on Saul, David took the harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

1 Samuel 18:6–16 WEB

⁶As they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music. ⁷The women sang to one another as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” ⁸Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have credited David with ten thousands, and they have only credited me with thousands. What can he have more but the kingdom?” ⁹Saul watched David from that day and forward. ¹⁰On the next day, an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. David played with his hand, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; ¹¹and Saul threw the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” David escaped from his presence twice. ¹²Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and had departed from Saul. ¹³Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. ¹⁵When Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.

1 Samuel 19:1–10 WEB

¹Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. ²Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, live in a secret place, and hide yourself. ³I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk with my father about you; and if I see anything, I will tell you.” ⁴Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Don’t let the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you; ⁵for he put his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?” ⁶Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. ⁸There was war again. David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. ⁹An evil spirit from the LORD was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing music with his hand. ¹⁰Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence; and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night.

1 Samuel 24:1–22 WEB

¹When Saul had returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.” ²Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. ³He came to the sheep pens by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were staying in the innermost parts of the cave. ⁴David’s men said to him, “Behold, the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe secretly. ⁵Afterward, David’s heart struck him because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. ⁶He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed.” ⁷So David checked his men with these words, and didn’t allow them to rise against Saul. Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. ⁸David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and showed respect. ⁹David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you’? ¹⁰Behold, today your eyes have seen how the LORD had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed.’ ¹¹Moreover, my father, behold, yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe and didn’t kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor disobedience in my hand. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt for my life to take it. ¹²May the LORD judge between me and you, and may the LORD avenge me of you; but my hand will not be on you. ¹³As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness;’ but my hand will not be on you. ¹⁴Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? ¹⁵May the LORD therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand.” ¹⁶It came to pass, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have done good to me, whereas I have done evil to you. ¹⁸You have declared today how you have dealt well with me, because when the LORD had delivered me up into your hand, you didn’t kill me. ¹⁹For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? Therefore may the LORD reward you good for that which you have done to me today. ²⁰Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. ²¹Swear now therefore to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.” ²²David swore to Saul. Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

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