וַיְדַבֵּר שָׁאוּל אֶל יוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ וְאֶל כָּל עֲבָדָיו לְהָמִית אֶת דָּוִד וִיהוֹנָתָן בֶּן שָׁאוּל חָפֵץ בְּדָוִד מְאֹד

Saul spoke to Yonatan his son, and to all his servants, to cause David’s death, but Yehonatan son of Saul was very fond of David, and wanted David to remain alive and successful and to maintain their relationship.

וַיַּגֵּד יְהוֹנָתָן לְדָוִד לֵאמֹר מְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל אָבִי לַהֲמִיתֶךָ וְעַתָּה הִשָּׁמֶר נָא בַבֹּקֶר וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בַסֵּתֶר וְנַחְבֵּאתָ

Yehonatan told David, saying: Saul my father seeks to have you put to death; now, therefore, please be on your guard in the morning, stay in concealment and hide.

וַאֲנִי אֵצֵא וְעָמַדְתִּי לְיַד אָבִי בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שָׁם וַאֲנִי אֲדַבֵּר בְּךָ אֶל אָבִי וְרָאִיתִי מָה וְהִגַּדְתִּי לָךְ

I will go out and stand by my father in the field where you are, and I will speak openly of you to my father, and I will see something, what his reaction will be, and I will tell you.

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוֹנָתָן בְּדָוִד טוֹב אֶל שָׁאוּל אָבִיו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַל יֶחֱטָא הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעַבְדּוֹ בְדָוִד כִּי לוֹא חָטָא לָךְ וְכִי מַעֲשָׂיו טוֹב לְךָ מְאֹד

Yehonatan spoke well of David to Saul, his father, and he said to him: Let the king not sin against his servant, against David, for he has not sinned against you, and because his actions, in war and in playing music, are very good for you.

וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ בְכַפּוֹ וַיַּךְ אֶת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיַּעַשׂ ה' תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאִיתָ וַתִּשְׂמָח וְלָמָּה תֶחֱטָא בְּדָם נָקִי לְהָמִית אֶת דָוִד חִנָּם

He, David, took his life in his hands, put his life in danger, and smote Goliath the Philistine, and the Lord performed great salvation for all Israel; you saw and you rejoiced. And why should you sin with innocent blood, to put David to death for nothing?

וַיִּשְׁמַע שָׁאוּל בְּקוֹל יְהוֹנָתָן וַיִּשָּׁבַע שָׁאוּל חַי ה' אִם יוּמָת

Saul heeded Yehonatan’s voice, and Saul took an oath: As the Lord lives, he, David, will surely not be put to death.

וַיִּקְרָא יְהוֹנָתָן לְדָוִד וַיַּגֶּד לוֹ יְהוֹנָתָן אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיָּבֵא יְהוֹנָתָן אֶת דָּוִד אֶל שָׁאוּל וַיְהִי לְפָנָיו כְּאֶתְמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם

Yehonatan called David, and Yehonatan told him of all these matters. Yehonatan brought David to Saul, and he was before him as previously.

וַתּוֹסֶף הַמִּלְחָמָה לִהְיוֹת וַיֵּצֵא דָוִד וַיִּלָּחֶם בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּךְ בָּהֶם מַכָּה גְדוֹלָה וַיָּנֻסוּ מִפָּנָיו

The war against the Philistines continued to be, an ongoing succession of mutual raids in which neither side decisively defeated the other. And David went forth and fought with the Philistines, and he smote them a great blow, and they fled before him. David continued to be successful in battle.

וַתְּהִי רוּחַ ה' רָעָה אֶל שָׁאוּל וְהוּא בְּבֵיתוֹ יוֹשֵׁב וַחֲנִיתוֹ בְּיָדוֹ ודָוִד מְנַגֵּן בְּיָד

An evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, and he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and as opposed to Saul, who had his hand on a spear, David was playing music with his hand in order to soothe Saul.

וַיְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל לְהַכּוֹת בַּחֲנִית בְּדָוִד וּבַקִּיר וַיִּפְטַר מִפְּנֵי שָׁאוּל וַיַּךְ אֶת הַחֲנִית בַּקִּיר וְדָוִד נָס וַיִּמָּלֵט בַּלַּיְלָה הוּא

Saul sought to smite David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, and he struck the spear into the wall, and David fled, and he escaped during that night.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל מַלְאָכִים אֶל בֵּית דָּוִד לְשָׁמְרוֹ וְלַהֲמִיתוֹ בַּבֹּקֶר וַתַּגֵּד לְדָוִד מִיכַל אִשְׁתּוֹ לֵאמֹר אִם אֵינְךָ מְמַלֵּט אֶת נַפְשְׁךָ הַלַּיְלָה מָחָר אַתָּה מוּמָת

Saul knew that David had gone to his house. Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, and to put him to death in the morning, but Mikhal his wife told David, saying: If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.

וַתֹּרֶד מִיכַל אֶת דָּוִד בְּעַד הַחַלּוֹן וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּבְרַח וַיִּמָּלֵט

Mikhal lowered David through the window, which was on an upper floor, on a side of the house where there were no guards; and he went and fled, and he escaped.

וַתִּקַּח מִיכַל אֶת הַתְּרָפִים וַתָּשֶׂם אֶל הַמִּטָּה וְאֵת כְּבִיר הָעִזִּים שָׂמָה מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו וַתְּכַס בַּבָּגֶד

Mikhal took the teraphim, figurines in the shape of a person, and placed them in the bed, and she placed the braid of goat hair, or the hide with the hair, at its head, like a pillow, and covered it with the cloth so that it would look as though a person was lying in bed.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל מַלְאָכִים לָקַחַת אֶת דָּוִד וַתֹּאמֶר חֹלֶה הוּא

Saul sent messengers to take David, but she, Mikhal, said: He is ill and is lying in bed.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל אֶת הַמַּלְאָכִים לִרְאוֹת אֶת דָּוִד לֵאמֹר הַעֲלוּ אֹתוֹ בַמִּטָּה אֵלַי לַהֲמִתוֹ

Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying to them: Bring him up to me in the bed, to put him to death.

וַיָּבֹאוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים וְהִנֵּה הַתְּרָפִים אֶל הַמִּטָּה וּכְבִיר הָעִזִּים מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו

The messengers came, and behold, instead of David, the teraphim were in the bed, and the braid of goat hair was at its head.

וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל מִיכַל לָמָּה כָּכָה רִמִּיתִנִי וַתְּשַׁלְּחִי אֶת אֹיְבִי וַיִּמָּלֵט וַתֹּאמֶר מִיכַל אֶל שָׁאוּל הוּא אָמַר אֵלַי שַׁלְּחִנִי לָמָה אֲמִיתֵךְ

Saul said to Mikhal: Why did you deceive me so, and you released my enemy, and he escaped? Mikhal said to Saul: He said to me: Release me; why should I put you to death? She told her father that David had threatened her and therefore she had let him escape.

וְדָוִד בָּרַח וַיִּמָּלֵט וַיָּבֹא אֶל שְׁמוּאֵל הָרָמָתָה וַיַּגֶּד לוֹ אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לוֹ שָׁאוּל וַיֵּלֶךְ הוּא וּשְׁמוּאֵל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בְּנָיוֹת

David fled and he escaped, and he came to Samuel to Rama, and he told him of everything that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and stayed in Nayot, in Rama, Samuel’s city. This was probably a quiet place where they rested, or studied and meditated.

וַיֻּגַּד לְשָׁאוּל לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה דָוִד בְּנָיוֹת בָּרָמָה

It was told to Saul, saying: Behold, David is in Nayot in Rama.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל מַלְאָכִים לָקַחַת אֶת דָּוִד וַיַּרְא אֶת לַהֲקַת הַנְּבִיאִים נִבְּאִים וּשְׁמוּאֵל עֹמֵד נִצָּב עֲלֵיהֶם וַתְּהִי עַל מַלְאֲכֵי שָׁאוּל רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ גַּם הֵמָּה

Saul did not hesitate to take David even from there, and so he sent messengers to take David. They, each of Saul’s messenger’s, saw the band of prophets prophesying, and Samuel, their mentor, was standing presiding over them to ensure that they would act properly, and a spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they too prophesied. When the messengers saw the prophets, they too became swept up in the spirit of prophecy.

וַיַּגִּדוּ לְשָׁאוּל וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אֲחֵרִים וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ גַּם הֵמָּה וַיֹּסֶף שָׁאוּל וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים שְׁלִשִׁים וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ גַּם הֵמָּה

They told Saul and he sent other messengers, but they too prophesied. Saul sent a third group of messengers, and they too prophesied. Prophecy was being made available to large numbers of people; all of Saul’s messengers were swept up in the prophetic experience.

וַיֵּלֶךְ גַּם הוּא הָרָמָתָה וַיָּבֹא עַד בּוֹר הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר בַּשֶּׂכוּ וַיִּשְׁאַל וַיֹּאמֶר אֵיפֹה שְׁמוּאֵל וְדָוִד וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה בְּנָיוֹת בָּרָמָה

Saul could find no other solution, so he too went to Rama, and he came to the great cistern that was in a place called Sekhu. He asked and said: Where are Samuel and David? One said: Behold, they are in Nayot in Rama.

וַיֵּלֶךְ שָׁם אֶל נָיוֹת בָּרָמָה וַתְּהִי עָלָיו גַּם הוּא רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ וַיִּתְנַבֵּא עַד בֹּאוֹ בְּנָיוֹת בָּרָמָה

He went there, to Nayot in Rama, and the spirit of God came upon him too, and he went and prophesied continuously until he came to Nayot in Rama.

וַיִּפְשַׁט גַּם הוּא בְּגָדָיו וַיִּתְנַבֵּא גַם הוּא לִפְנֵי שְׁמוּאֵל וַיִּפֹּל עָרֹם כָּל הַיּוֹם הַהוּא וְכָל הַלָּיְלָה עַל כֵּן יֹאמְרוּ הֲגַם שָׁאוּל בַּנְּבִיאִם

He too, stripped off his garments, like the others that experienced prophecy, and he too, prophesied before Samuel, and he fell naked all that day and all the night. During that time, David was able to escape. Therefore, they say: Is Saul among the prophets too? This phrase, which had been stated before in astonishment, now became a common aphorism. In terms of his personal attributes Saul was fit to receive prophecy. Consequently, he too was seized by the spirit of prophecy, and he lay on the ground unable to free himself from the experience.