1 Samuel 18
1 And it comes to pass, when he finishes to speak to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan has been bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loves him as his own soul.
After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
2 And Saul takes him on that day, and has not permitted him to return to the house of his father.
And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.
3 And Jonathan makes—David also—a covenant, because he loves him as his own soul,
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.
4 and Jonathan strips himself of the upper robe which [is] on him, and gives it to David, and his long robe, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
And Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5 And David goes out wherever Saul sends him; he acted wisely, and Saul sets him over the men of war, and it is good in the eyes of all the people, and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.
So David marched out and prospered in everything Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over the men of war. And this was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and of Saul’s officers as well.
6 And it comes to pass, in their coming in, in David’s returning from striking the Philistine, that the women come out from all the cities of Israel to sing—also the dancers—to meet Saul the king, with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments;
As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments.
7 and the women answer—those playing, and say, “Saul has struck among his thousands, And David among his myriads.”
And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
8 And it is exceedingly displeasing to Saul, and this thing is evil in his eyes, and he says, “They have given myriads to David, and they have given the thousands to me, and what more [is there] for him but the kingdom?”
And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingdom?”
9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.
And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
10 And it comes to pass, on the next day, that the spirit of sadness [from] God prospers over Saul, and he prophesies in the midst of the house, and David is playing with his hand, as [he did] day by day, and the javelin [is] in the hand of Saul,
The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,
11 and Saul casts the javelin and says, “I strike through David, even through the wall”; and David turns around out of his presence twice.
and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12 And Saul is afraid of the presence of David, for YHWH has been with him, and He has turned aside from Saul;
So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.
13 and Saul turns him aside from him, and appoints him to himself [for] head of one thousand, and he goes out and comes in, before the people.
Therefore Saul sent David away and gave him command of a thousand men. David led the troops out to battle and back,
14 And David is acting wisely in all his ways, and YHWH [is] with him,
and he continued to prosper in all his ways, because the LORD was with him.
15 and Saul sees that he is acting very wisely, and is afraid of him,
When Saul saw that David was very successful, he was afraid of him.
16 and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them.
But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he was leading them out to battle and back.
17 And Saul says to David, “Behold, my elder daughter Merab—I give her to you for a wife; only, be for a son of valor to me, and fight the battles of YHWH”; and Saul said, “Do not let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.”
Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 And David says to Saul, “Who [am] I? And what [is] my life—the family of my father in Israel—that I am son-in-law of the king?”
And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?”
19 And it comes to pass, at the time of the giving of Merab daughter of Saul to David, that she has been given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
So when it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him.
21 and Saul says, “I give her to him, and she is for a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines is on him”; and Saul says to David, “By the second—you become my son-in-law today.”
“I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”
22 And Saul commands his servants, “Speak to David gently, saying, Behold, the king has delighted in you, and all his servants have loved you, and now, be son-in-law of the king.”
Then Saul ordered his servants, “Speak to David privately and tell him, ‘Behold, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become his son-in-law.’”
23 And the servants of Saul speak these words in the ears of David, and David says, “Is it a light thing in your eyes to be son-in-law of the king—and I a poor man, and lightly esteemed?”
But when Saul’s servants relayed these words to David, he replied, “Does it seem trivial in your sight to be the son-in-law of the king? I am a poor man and lightly esteemed.”
24 And the servants of Saul declare [it] to him, saying, “David has spoken according to these words.”
And the servants told Saul what David had said.
25 And Saul says, “Thus you say to David, There is no delight for the king in dowry, but in one hundred foreskins of the Philistines—to be avenged on the enemies of the king”; and Saul thought to cause David to fall by the hand of the Philistines.
Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king desires no other dowry but a hundred Philistine foreskins as revenge on his enemies.’” But Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.
26 And his servants declare these words to David, and the thing is right in the eyes of David, to be son-in-law of the king; and the days have not been full,
When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived,
27 and David rises and goes, he and his men, and strikes two hundred men among the Philistines, and David brings in their foreskins, and they set them before the king, to be son-in-law of the king; and Saul gives his daughter Michal to him for a wife.
David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as payment in full to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage.
28 And Saul sees and knows that YHWH [is] with David, and Michal daughter of Saul has loved him,
When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,
29 and Saul adds to be afraid of the presence of David still; and Saul is an enemy of David [for] all the days.
he grew even more afraid of David. So from then on Saul was David’s enemy.
30 And the princes of the Philistines come out, and it comes to pass from the time of their coming out, David has acted more wisely than any of the servants of Saul, and his name is very precious.
Every time the Philistine commanders came out for battle, David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers, so that his name was highly esteemed.
