5. He put his own life in danger when he killed Goliath. The Lord used him to win a great battle for the whole nation of Israel. When you saw it, you were glad. So why would you do anything to harm a man like David? He isn't guilty of doing anything to harm you. Why would you want to kill him without any reason?"
6. Saul paid attention to Jonathan. He took an oath and made a promise. He said, "You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that David will not be put to death."
7. So Jonathan sent for David and told him everything he and Saul had said. Then he brought David to Saul. David served Saul as he had done before.
8. Once more war broke out. So David went out and fought against the Philistines. He struck them down with so much force that they ran away from him.
9. But an evil spirit that was sent by the Lord came on Saul. It happened as he was sitting in his house and holding his spear. While David was playing the harp,
10. Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David got away from him just as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David escaped.
11. Saul sent some men to watch David's house. He told them to kill David the next morning. But David's wife Michal warned him. She said, "You must run for your life tonight. If you don't, tomorrow you will be killed."
12. So Michal helped David escape through a window. He ran and got away.
13. Then Michal got a statue of a god. She laid it on David's bed. She covered it with clothes. And she put some goat hair at the place where David's head would have been.
14. Saul sent the men to capture David. But Michal told them, "He's sick."
15. Then Saul sent the men back to see David. He told them, "Bring him up here to me in his bed. Then I'll kill him."
16. But when the men entered, they found nothing but the statue in the bed. Some goat hair was at the place where David's head would have been.