< 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.
Now after David's talk with Saul was ended, the soul of Jonathan was joined with the soul of David, and David became as dear to him as his very life.
2 And Saul takes him on that day, and has not permitted him to return to the house of his father.
And that day Saul took David and would not let him go back to his father's house.
3 And Jonathan makes—David also—a covenant, because he loves him as his own soul,
Then Jonathan and David made an agreement together, because of Jonathan's love for David.
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 took off the robe he had on and gave it to David, with all his military dress, even to his sword and his bow and the band round his body.
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.
And David went wherever Saul sent him, and did wisely: and Saul put him at the head of his men of war, and this was pleasing to all the people as well as to Saul's servants.
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;
Now on their way, when David came back after the destruction of the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, with songs and dances, meeting David with melody and joy and instruments of music.
7 and the women answer—those playing, and say, “Saul has struck among his thousands, And David among his myriads.”
And the women, answering one another in their song, said, Saul has put to death 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 very angry and this saying was unpleasing to him; and he said, They have given David credit for tens of thousands, and to me for only thousands: what more is there for him but the kingdom?
9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.
And from that day Saul was looking with envy 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,
Now on the day after, an evil spirit from God came on Saul with great force and he was acting like a prophet among the men of his house, while David was making music for him, as he did day by day: and Saul had his spear in his hand.
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 Saul, balancing the spear in his hand, said, I will give David a blow, pinning him to the wall. And David got away from 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;
And Saul went in fear of David, because the Lord was with David and had gone away 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.
So Saul sent him away, and made him a captain over a thousand; and he went about his business before the people.
14 And David is acting wisely in all his ways, and YHWH [is] with him,
And in all his undertakings David did wisely; and the Lord was with him.
15 and Saul sees that he is acting very wisely, and is afraid of him,
And when Saul saw how wisely he did, he was in fear of him.
16 and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them.
But David was loved by all Israel and Judah, for he went out and came in before them.
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.”
And Saul said to David, Here is my oldest daughter Merab, whom I will give you for your wife: only be strong for me, fighting in the Lord's wars. For Saul said, Let it not be through me that his fate comes to him, but through the Philistines.
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 father's family in Israel, that I am to be son-in-law to 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.
But when the time came to give Merab, Saul's daughter, to David, she was given to Adriel of Meholath.
20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
And Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David: and Saul had word of it and was pleased.
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.”
And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a cause of danger to him, and so that the hands of the Philistines may be against him. So Saul said to David, Today you are to become my son-in-law for the second time.
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.”
And Saul gave his servants orders saying, Have talk with David secretly and say to him, See how the king has delight in you, and how you are loved by all his servants: then be the king's 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?”
And Saul's servants said these things to David. And David said, Does it seem to you a small thing to be the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, of no great name?
24 And the servants of Saul declare [it] to him, saying, “David has spoken according to these words.”
And the servants of Saul gave him an account of 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.
And Saul said, Then say to David, The king has no desire for any bride-price, but only for the private parts of a hundred Philistines so that the king may get the better of his haters. But it was in Saul's mind that David might come to his end by 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,
And when his servants said these words to David, he was well pleased to be the son-in-law of the king. And the days were still not past.
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.
So David and his men got up and went, and put to death two hundred of the Philistines; and David took their private parts and gave the full number of them to the king, so that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife.
28 And Saul sees and knows that YHWH [is] with David, and Michal daughter of Saul has loved him,
And it was clear to Saul that the Lord was with David; and he was loved by all Israel.
29 and Saul adds to be afraid of the presence of David still; and Saul is an enemy of David [for] all the days.
And Saul's fear of David became all the greater, and he went on hating him, day by day.
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.
Then the rulers of the Philistines went out to war: and whenever they went out, David did more wisely than all the other servants of Saul, so that his name became greatly honoured.

< 1 Samuel 18 >