1Samuel 19

 

וַיְדַבֵּר שָׁאוּל אֶל־יוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ וְאֶל־כָּל־עֲבָדָיו לְהָמִית אֶת־דָּוִד וִיהוֹנָתָן בֶּן־שָׁאוּל חָפֵץ בְּדָוִד מְאֹד׃   19:1

1Sam. 19:1   And Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants to slay David, but Jonathan took much delight in David.

וַיַּגֵּד יְהוֹנָתָן לְדָוִד לֵאמֹר מְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל אָבִי לַהֲמִיתֶךָ וְעַתָּה הִשָּׁמֶר־נָא בַבֹּקֶר וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בַסֵּתֶר   19:2 וְנַחְבֵּאתָ׃

1Sam. 19:2   So Jonathan told to David saying, “Saul, my father, is seeking to have you slain, so now take heed, please, that in the morning, you should stay in a secret place and hide.”

וַאֲנִי אֵצֵא וְעָמַדְתִּי לְיַד־אָבִי בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שָׁם וַאֲנִי אֲדַבֵּר בְּךָ אֶל־אָבִי וְרָאִיתִי מָה וְהִגַּדְתִּי   19:3 לָךְ׃

1Sam. 19:3   “And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are there, and I will speak about you to my father, and I will find out what is, and tell to you.”

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוֹנָתָן בְּדָוִד טוֹב אֶל־שָׁאוּל אָבִיו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַל־יֶחֱטָא הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעַבְדּוֹ בְדָוִד כִּי לוֹא חָטָא   19:4 לָךְ וְכִי מַעֲשָׂיו טוֹב־לְךָ מְאֹד׃

1Sam. 19:4   And Jonathan spoke well about David to Saul, his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, for he has not sinned against you, and because his work has been very good for you,

וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ בְכַפּוֹ וַיַּךְ אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוָה תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה לְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאִיתָ וַתִּשְׂמָח   19:5 וְלָמָּה תֶחֱטָא בְּדָם נָקִי לְהָמִית אֶת־דָּוִד חִנָּם׃

1Sam. 19:5   as he put his life in his hand and smote the Philistine, and the Lord made a great deliverance for all Israel.  You saw and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood, slaying David without cause?”

וַיִּשְׁמַע שָׁאוּל בְּקוֹל יְהוֹנָתָן וַיִּשָּׁבַע שָׁאוּל חַי־יְהוָה אִם־יוּמָת׃   19:6

1Sam. 19:6   And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.”

וַיִּקְרָא יְהוֹנָתָן לְדָוִד וַיַּגֶּד־לוֹ יְהוֹנָתָן אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיָּבֵא יְהוֹנָתָן אֶת־דָּוִד אֶל־שָׁאוּל וַיְהִי   19:7 לְפָנָיו כְּאֶתְמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם׃

1Sam. 19:7   Then Jonathan called David and told all these things to him. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul and he was before him like in past times.

וַתּוֹסֶף הַמִּלְחָמָה לִהְיוֹת וַיֵּצֵא דָוִד וַיִּלָּחֶם בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּךְ בָּהֶם מַכָּה גְדוֹלָה וַיָּנֻסוּ מִפָּנָיו׃   19:8

1Sam. 19:8   And there continued to be wars, and David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck a great slaughter among them, and they fled from before him.

וַתְּהִי רוּחַ יְהוָה רָעָה אֶל־שָׁאוּל וְהוּא בְּבֵיתוֹ יוֹשֵׁב וַחֲנִיתוֹ בְּיָדוֹ וְדָוִד מְנַגֵּן בְּיָד׃   19:9

1Sam. 19:9   And there came an evil spirit of the Lord to Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing by hand.

וַיְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל לְהַכּוֹת בַּחֲנִית בְּדָוִד וּבַקִּיר וַיִּפְטַר מִפְּנֵי שָׁאוּל וַיַּךְ אֶת־הַחֲנִית בַּקִּיר וְדָוִד נָס וַיִּמָּלֵט   19:10 בַּלַּיְלָה הוּא׃

1Sam. 19:10   And Saul sought to strike with his spear against David as he was against the wall, but he slipped away from the presence of Saul, and he struck the spear against the wall.  Then David fled, and he escaped during that night.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל מַלְאָכִים אֶל־בֵּית דָּוִד לְשָׁמְרוֹ וְלַהֲמִיתוֹ בַּבֹּקֶר וַתַּגֵּד לְדָוִד מִיכַל אִשְׁתּוֹ לֵאמֹר אִם־   19:11 אֵינְךָ מְמַלֵּט אֶת־נַפְשְׁךָ הַלַּיְלָה מָחָר אַתָּה מוּמָת׃

1Sam. 19:11   And Saul sent messengers to the house of David to wait for him and to slay him in the morning.  But Michal, his wife, told to David saying, “If you are not going to save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead.”                                                        [Return to Psal. 59:1]

וַתֹּרֶד מִיכַל אֶת־דָּוִד בְּעַד הַחַלּוֹן וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּבְרַח וַיִּמָּלֵט׃   19:12

1Sam. 19:12   Then Michal let David down through the window, and he went and fled, and he escaped.

וַתִּקַּח מִיכַל אֶת־הַתְּרָפִים וַתָּשֶׂם אֶל־הַמִּטָּה וְאֵת כְּבִיר הָעִזִּים שָׂמָה מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו וַתְּכַס בַּבָּגֶד׃   19:13

1Sam. 19:13   And Michal took the teraphim and placed on the bed, and a pillow of goat's hair she put at its head and covered with a robe.

What an innocent off-handed disclosure!  “And Michal took the teraphim ....”  So the Israelites still kept idols at home.  And because of the seemingly nonchalant manner of the scribe in conveying this information, most likely they were common in households at the time of this writing.  Obviously the teraphim had at least semi-human form and were as large as an average human.                                                                     [Return to Zech. 10:2]

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל מַלְאָכִים לָקַחַת אֶת־דָּוִד וַתֹּאמֶר חֹלֶה הוּא׃   19:14

1Sam. 19:14   Then Saul sent messengers to seize David, but she said, “He is sick.”

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל אֶת־הַמַּלְאָכִים לִרְאוֹת אֶת־דָּוִד לֵאמֹר הַעֲלוּ אֹתוֹ בַמִּטָּה אֵלַי לַהֲמִתוֹ׃   19:15

1Sam. 19:15   Then Saul sent the messengers to see David saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed to slay him.”

וַיָּבֹאוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים וְהִנֵּה הַתְּרָפִים אֶל־הַמִּטָּה וּכְבִיר הָעִזִּים מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו׃   19:16

1Sam. 19:16   And the messengers came, and behold, the teraphim was on the bed with the pillow of goat's hair at its head.

וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל־מִיכַל לָמָּה כָּכָה רִמִּיתִנִי וַתְּשַׁלְּחִי אֶת־אֹיְבִי וַיִּמָּלֵט וַתֹּאמֶר מִיכַל אֶל־שָׁאוּל   19:17

  הוּא־אָמַר אֵלַי שַׁלְּחִנִי לָמָה אֲמִיתֵךְ׃

1Sam. 19:17   And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you betrayed me like so and let my enemy loose that he escaped?”  And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go.  Why should I kill you?’”

וְדָוִד בָּרַח וַיִּמָּלֵט וַיָּבֹא אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵל הָרָמָתָה וַיַּגֶּד־לוֹ אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה־לוֹ שָׁאוּל וַיֵּלֶךְ הוּא   19:18 וּשְׁמוּאֵל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ (בְּנָוֹית) [בְּנָיוֹת]׃

1Sam. 19:18   So David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told to him all that Saul had done to him.  Then he went with Samuel and they dwelled in Naioth.

The name Naioth in the parentheses appears to be misspelled.  The positions of the vav and yad seem to have been interchanged.  The same apparent error is repeated in vss. 19:20, 22 and 23 (twice) below.  The name appears no where else in the bible except in v. 20:1.  If these are indeed errors, it speaks again to haste on the part of the scribe.

וַיֻּגַּד לְשָׁאוּל לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה דָוִד (בְּנָוֹית) [בְּנָיוֹת] בָּרָמָה׃   19:19

1Sam. 19:19   And it was told to Saul saying, “Behold, David is in Naioth in Ramah.”

וַיִּשְׁלַח שָׁאוּל מַלְאָכִים לָקַחַת אֶת־דָּוִד וַיַּרְא אֶת־לַהֲקַת הַנְּבִיאִים נִבְּאִים וּשְׁמוּאֵל עֹמֵד נִצָּב   19:20 עֲלֵיהֶם וַתְּהִי עַל־מַלְאֲכֵי שָׁאוּל רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ גַּם־הֵמָּה׃

1Sam. 19:20   So Saul sent messengers to seize David, but the assembly of prophesying prophets saw as Samuel stood erect over them, and the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul and they prophesied also.

וַיַּגִּדוּ לְשָׁאוּל וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אֲחֵרִים וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ גַּם־הֵמָּה וַיֹּסֶף שָׁאוּל וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים שְׁלִשִׁים   19:21 וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ גַּם־הֵמָּה׃

1Sam. 19:21   When they told to Saul, then he sent other messengers but they also prophesied.  Still Saul continued, and he sent messengers a third time and they also prophesied.

וַיֵּלֶךְ גַּם־הוּא הָרָמָתָה וַיָּבֹא עַד־בּוֹר הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר בַּשֶּׂכוּ וַיִּשְׁאַל וַיֹּאמֶר אֵיפֹה שְׁמוּאֵל וְדָוִד וַיֹּאמֶר   19:22 הִנֵּה (בְּנָוֹית) [בְּנָיוֹת] בָּרָמָה׃

1Sam. 19:22   Then he also went to Ramah and came as far as the great cistern which is in Sechu, and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?”  And one answered, “Behold, they are in Naioth in Ramah.”

וַיֵּלֶךְ שָׁם אֶל־ (נָוֹית) [נָיוֹת] בָּרָמָה וַתְּהִי עָלָיו גַּם־הוּא רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ וַיִּתְנַבֵּא עַד־בֹּאוֹ   19:23 (בְּנָוֹית) [בְּנָיוֹת] בָּרָמָה׃

1Sam. 19:23   And he went there to Naioth in Ramah, and the spirit of God came upon him, he also, and he left running, and he prophesied until his entry into Naioth in Ramah.

וַיִּפְשַׁט גַּם־הוּא בְּגָדָיו וַיִּתְנַבֵּא גַם־הוּא לִפְנֵי שְׁמוּאֵל וַיִּפֹּל עָרֹם כָּל־הַיּוֹם הַהוּא וְכָל־הַלָּיְלָה עַל־כֵּן   19:24 יֹאמְרוּ הֲגַם שָׁאוּל בַּנְּבִיאִם׃

1Sam. 19:24   And he also stripped off his clothes and he also prophesied before Samuel, and he lay down naked that whole day and all night.  Therefore they would say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

 

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