📖 1 Samuel — Chapter 19 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
1 Samuel 19:1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
1 Samuel 19:2 But Jonathan Saul’s son Rdelighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:
1 Samuel 19:3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and Rwhat I see, that I will tell thee.
1 Samuel 19:4 And Jonathan Rspake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
1 Samuel 19:5 For he did Rput his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
1 Samuel 19:6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul Rsware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
1 Samuel 19:7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as RTin times past.
1 Samuel 19:8 And there was war again: and RDavid went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from Thim.
1 Samuel 19:9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
1 Samuel 19:10 And Saul Rsought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin: but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
1 Samuel 19:11 Saul also Rsent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.
1 Samuel 19:12 So RMichal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
1 Samuel 19:13 And Michal took Ran Timage, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
1 Samuel 19:14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, Rshe said, He is sick.
1 Samuel 19:15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, RBring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
1 Samuel 19:16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster.
1 Samuel 19:17 And Saul said unto Michal, RWhy hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?
1 Samuel 19:18 So David fled, and escaped, and came Rto Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
1 Samuel 19:19 RAnd it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
1 Samuel 19:20 And Saul Rsent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
1 Samuel 19:21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul Rsent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
1 Samuel 19:22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.
1 Samuel 19:23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and Rthe Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
1 Samuel 19:24 And he Rstripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and Tlay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 19:1–7 — Jonathan speaks for innocent David
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Saul orders David killed, but Jonathan warns him and argues against shedding innocent blood. He recalls David's service and the LORD's deliverance. Saul temporarily swears David will not be slain, and Jonathan restores him to Saul's presence.
Key Truth: Loyalty to a parent does not require agreeing to unjust harm.
Check What You Remember
1. Who warned David of Saul's order? (1 Samuel 19:2)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:2 (KJV).
2. What kind of blood did Jonathan warn against shedding? (1 Samuel 19:5)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:5 (KJV).
3. Who brought David back to Saul? (1 Samuel 19:7)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:7 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 19:8–17 — Michal helps David escape
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Saul again attempts to spear David, then sends watchers to his house. Michal warns him and lowers him through a window, using an image in bed to delay pursuit. The rescue and her later explanation are reported without making every deception a moral instruction.
Key Truth: David's danger is real despite Saul's earlier oath.
Check What You Remember
1. What weapon did Saul use? (1 Samuel 19:10)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:10 (KJV).
2. Who lowered David through a window? (1 Samuel 19:12)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:12 (KJV).
3. What was placed in the bed? (1 Samuel 19:13)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:13 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 19:18–24 — The pursuit is interrupted at Naioth
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
David goes to Samuel at Ramah. Saul's messengers repeatedly prophesy instead of seizing him, and Saul himself is overcome in the same way. The unusual account shows the pursuit checked by God's Spirit, not by David's own military defense.
Key Truth: Saul cannot simply command his way past God's intervention.
Check What You Remember
1. To which prophet did David flee? (1 Samuel 19:18)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:18 (KJV).
2. At what place in Ramah did they stay? (1 Samuel 19:18)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:18 (KJV).
3. What happened to the messengers when the Spirit came? (1 Samuel 19:20)
Find it in 1 Samuel 19:20 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
1 Samuel 10:11 — The earlier proverb about Saul among the prophets returns in this new setting.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How do Jonathan, Michal, and the events at Naioth each interrupt Saul's effort to kill David?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What argument does Jonathan make for sparing David?
2. What contrast appears between Saul’s oath and his later action?
3. How does Michal use both escape and delay?
4. What repeatedly frustrates Saul’s messengers at Naioth?
5. How does Saul’s own journey end like the messengers’ journeys?
Notes
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