1 Samuel 18
1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit on the soul of David; and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
After David finished talking with Saul, [he met Saul’s son, Jonathan.] Jonathan [immediately] liked David; in fact, he began to love/like him as much as he loved/liked himself.
2 And Saul took him on that day, and would not permit him to go home to his father's house.
From that day, Saul kept David with him, and did not let him return home.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because of his loving him as his own soul.
Because Jonathan loved David so much, he made a solemn agreement with David. [They promised each other that they would always be loyal friends].
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he had upon him, and gave it to David, and likewise his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
Jonathan took off his own outer robe and gave it to David. He also gave David his soldier’s tunic, his sword, his bow [and arrows], and his belt.
5 And David went out; whithersoever Saul used to send him, he was successful; and Saul set him over the men of war; and he was accepted in the eyes of all the people, and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.
[David went wherever Saul sent him. And] whatever Saul told him to do, David did it very successfully. As a result, Saul appointed David to be a commander in the army. All the officers and other men in the army (approved of/were very pleased with) that.
6 And it came to pass as they came home, when David returned from smiting the Philistines, that the women came forth out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with triangles.
But, when the men in the army were returning home after David had killed Goliath, the women came out from many [HYP] towns in Israel to meet/greet King Saul. They were singing and dancing very joyfully, playing tambourines and lyres.
7 And the women that played answered one another, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
As they danced, they sang this song to each other: “Saul has killed 1,000 [enemy soldiers], But David has killed 10,000 [of them].”
8 And Saul was very wroth, and this saying was displeasing in his eyes; and he said, They have given unto David ten thousands, and to me they have given the thousands: and all that he lacketh now yet is only the kingdom.
[When] Saul [heard them singing that, he] did not like it. He became very angry. He said [to himself], “They are saying that David [killed] 10,000 men, but that I [have killed] only 1,000. Soon they will want to make him their king!” [RHQ]
9 And Saul looked jealous on David from that day and forward.
From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious [that David would try to become king].
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came suddenly over Saul, and he spoke foolish things in the midst of the house: while David was playing with his hand, as on previous days; and the spear was in the hand of Saul.
The next day, an evil spirit sent by God suddenly took control of Saul. He began to act like a madman, inside his house. David was playing the lyre for him, as he did every day. Saul was holding a spear in his hand,
11 And Saul cast the spear; and he thought, I will strike David through even on the wall. And David turned aside out of his presence twice.
and he hurled it [at David], saying to himself, “I will fasten David to the wall with the spear!” He did that two times, but David jumped aside [both times].
12 And Saul was afraid of David; because the Lord was with him, and from Saul he was departed.
Because [it became evident that] Yahweh had abandoned Saul but [that] he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
13 Therefore Saul removed him from himself, and made him his captain over a thousand: and he went out and came in before the people.
So he appointed David as a commander of 1,000 soldiers and sent David away from him, [hoping that David would be killed in a battle]. But when David led his soldiers [in their battles],
14 And David was successful on all his ways; and the Lord was with him.
he always had great success, because Yahweh was helping him.
15 And when Saul saw that he was very successful, he was in dread of him.
When Saul heard that David [and his soldiers were] very successful, he became more afraid of David.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David; because he went out and came in before them.
But all the people of Israel and of Judah loved David, because he led the soldiers very successfully [in the battles].
17 And Saul said to David, Behold, here is my eldest daughter Merab, her will I give to thee for wife: only be thou unto me a man of valor, and fight the Lord's battles. And Saul thought, Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.
One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter, Merab, to be your wife. I will do that if you serve me bravely by fighting battles for Yahweh [against the Philistines]”. He said that because he thought, “I will not try to get rid of David by myself. I will allow the Philistines to do that.”
18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be a son-in-law to the king?
But David said to Saul, “I am not [RHQ] a very important person, and my family is not very important, and my clan is not a very important Israeli clan. So I do not deserve to become your son-in-law.” [RHQ]
19 But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto 'Adriel the Mecholathite for wife.
So, when it was time for Merab to be given to David to become his wife, instead, Saul gave her to a man named Adriel, from Meholah [town].
20 And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told it to Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes.
But Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
21 And Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may become unto him a snare, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Through the second shalt thou this day become my son-in-law.
He thought, “I will let Michal marry him, in order that she may trap him, and the Philistines will be able to kill him.” So he said to David, [“You can marry Michal],” and by saying that, he indicated for the second time that David would become his son-in-law.
22 And Saul commanded his servants, Speak to David secretly, saying, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee; and now thou must become the king's son-in-law.
Saul told his servants, “Talk to David privately, and say to him, ‘Listen, the king is pleased with you, and all of us his servants love you. So now [we think that] you should [marry Michal and] become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 And the servants of Saul spoke in the ears of David these words. And David said, Doth it seem so light in your eyes to become the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and of light esteem?
So they told that to David. But David said, “It would be a great honor [RHQ] to become the king’s son-in-law. But [I do not think that I should do that, because] I am only a poor and insignificant man.”
24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, Words such as these David hath spoken.
When the servants told Saul what David had said,
25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged on the king's enemies. But Saul thought to cause David to fall by the hand of the Philistines.
Saul replied, “Go and say to David, ‘[In order for] the king [to allow you to marry Michal, he] wants [you to kill] 100 Philistines [and cut off] their foreskins [and bring the foreskins to him to prove that you have killed them]. In that way he will get revenge on his enemies.’” But what Saul wanted was that the Philistines would kill David [while David was trying to kill them].
26 And when his servants told David these words, the thing was pleasing in the eyes of David to become the king's son-in-law: and the days were not complete,
When the servants told that to David, he was very pleased that he could become the king’s son-in-law [by doing that. The king had said how many days he would allow for David to do that]. But before that time ended,
27 When David arose and went, he and his men, and smote of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they counted them out in full to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter for wife.
David and his men went and killed, [not 100, but] 200 Philistines! He brought their foreskins to Saul, and counted them [while Saul was watching], in order to prove that he had [done what the king required so that he could become Saul’s son-in-law. So then Saul was obligated] to allow David to marry his daughter Michal.
28 And Saul saw and understood that the Lord was with David: and Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him.
But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy all the time.
he became more afraid of David. So, as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
30 And the princes of the Philistines went forth; and it came to pass, whenever they went forth, that David was more successful than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was highly prized.
The Philistine armies repeatedly came to fight the Israelis, but every time they fought, David and his soldiers were more successful than any of Saul’s other army commanders. As a result, David became very famous.
