19:4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf 5 to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial 6 for you. 19:5 He risked his life 7 when he struck down the Philistine and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?”
19:6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice 8 and took an oath, “As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.” 19:7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly. 9
19:8 Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly 10 and they ran away from him. 19:9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon 11 Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre. 12 19:10 Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence and the spear drove into the wall. 13 David escaped quickly 14 that night.
19:11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard it and to kill him in the morning. Then David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save yourself 15 tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
19:15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed so I can kill him.”
1 tn Heb “seeking.”
2 tn Heb “stay in.”
3 tn Heb “and hide yourself.”
4 tn Heb “when I see.”
5 tn Heb “spoke good with respect to David.”
6 tn Heb “good.”
7 tn Heb “and he put his life into his hand.”
8 tn Heb “and Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan.”
9 tn Heb “and he was before him as before.”
10 tn Heb “and he struck them down with a great blow.”
11 tn Heb “[was] to.”
12 tn The Hebrew text adds here “with his hand.”
13 tn Heb “and he drove the spear into the wall.”
14 tn Heb “fled and escaped.”
15 tn Heb “your life.”