Michal Helps David Escape

¹Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officials that he wanted David killed. ²But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David, and he warned David, saying, "My father Saul is trying to kill you. Now therefore, I pray you, be careful until the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself." ³I'll go stand with my father in the field near where you're hiding and bring up your name in conversation. Whatever I find out, I'll come tell you." ⁴Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. He said, "Don't sin against your servant David. He's never done anything to harm you — in fact, everything he's done has been for your benefit. ⁵He risked his own life and killed the Philistine, and the LORD brought a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. So why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David without a reason? ⁶Saul listened to Jonathan and swore an oath: "As the LORD lives, David will not be put to death." ⁷Jonathan went to David and told him everything. Then he brought David back to Saul, and David served in Saul's presence just as he had before. ⁸War broke out again, and David went out to fight the Philistines. He slew them with a great slaughter, and they fled from him. ⁹But then an evil spirit from the LORD came over Saul while he was sitting in his house with a spear in his hand, and David played music with his hand. ¹⁰Saul hurled the spear, trying to pin David to the wall. But David dodged out of the way, and the spear stuck in the wall. That night, David fled and escaped. ¹¹Saul sent men to watch David's house with orders to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him: "If you don't get out of here tonight, you'll be dead by morning." ¹²So Michal lowered David down through a window, and he ran and got away. ¹³Then Michal took an image and laid it in the bed. She put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with a cloth. ¹⁴When Saul's men came to arrest David, she told them, "He's sick." ¹⁵Saul sent the men back with new orders: "Bring him to me in his bed if you have to — I'm going to kill him." ¹⁶When the messengers entered, they saw an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair at its head. ¹⁷Saul said to Michal, "Why did you deceive me and send my enemy away so that he escaped?" Michal answered Saul, "He told me, 'Let me go. Why should I kill you?'" ¹⁸David fled and made his way to Samuel at Ramah, where he told him everything Saul had done. Then the two of them went and stayed at Naioth.