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.
And it happened that, when he had completed speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan adhered to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him like his own soul.
2 And Saul takes him on that day, and has not permitted him to return to the house of his father.
And Saul took him that day, and would not permit him to return to his father’s house.
3 And Jonathan makes—David also—a covenant, because he loves him as his own soul,
Then David and Jonathan formed a pact. For he loved him like his own soul.
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 coat that he was wearing, and he gave it to David, with the rest of his garments, even to his sword and bow, and even 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.
Also, David went out to do everything whatsoever that Saul sent him to do, and he conducted himself prudently. And Saul set him over men of war. And he was acceptable in the eyes of the entire people, and most of all in the sight of the servants of Saul.
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 when David returned, after he had struck down the Philistine, the women went out, from all the cities of Israel, leading the singing and dancing, rejoicing with timbrels and bells, so as to meet king Saul.
7 and the women answer—those playing, and say, “Saul has struck among his thousands, And David among his myriads.”
And the women sang, as they played, saying, “Saul has struck down a thousand, and David ten thousand.”
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?”
Then Saul became exceedingly angry, and this word was displeasing in his eyes. And he said: “They have given David ten thousand, and to me they gave only one thousand. What is left for him, except the kingdom itself?”
9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.
Therefore, Saul did not regard David with a good eye, from that day and thereafter.
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,
Then, on the next day, the evil spirit from God assailed Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of his house. And David played with his hand, just as at every other time. And Saul held a lance 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 he threw it, thinking that he would be able to fix David to the wall. And David stepped aside twice, from before his face.
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 feared David, because the Lord was with him, but he had withdrawn 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 him away from himself, and he made him tribune over one thousand men. And he entered and departed in the sight of the people.
14 And David is acting wisely in all his ways, and YHWH [is] with him,
Also, David acted prudently in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.
15 and Saul sees that he is acting very wisely, and is afraid of him,
And so, Saul saw that he was exceedingly prudent, and he began to be wary of him.
16 and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them.
But all of Israel and Judah loved David. For he entered and departed 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: “Behold, my elder daughter, Merab. I will give her to you as wife. Only be a valiant man, and fight the wars of the Lord.” Now Saul was considering within himself, saying, “Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hands of the Philistines be upon 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?”
Then David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life, and what is my father’s kinship within Israel, that I should be 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.
Then it happened that, at the time when Merab, the daughter of Saul, was to be given to David, she was given to Adriel, the Meholathite, as wife.
20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
Now Michal, the other daughter of Saul, loved David. And this was reported to Saul, and 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.”
And Saul said, “I will give her to him, so that she may be a stumbling block to him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be upon him.” And Saul said to David, “In two things, you shall be my son-in-law today.”
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 commanded his servants to speak to David privately, saying: “Behold, you are pleasing to the king, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, be the son-in-law of the king.”
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 the servants of Saul spoke all these words to the ears of David. And David said: “Does it seem a small matter to you, to be the son-in-law of the king? I am but a poor and unimportant man.”
24 And the servants of Saul declare [it] to him, saying, “David has spoken according to these words.”
And the servants reported to Saul, saying, “David has spoken words in this manner.”
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.
Then Saul said, “Speak in this way to David: The king does not have need of any dowry, but only one hundred foreskins from the Philistine men, so that he may be vindicated from the enemies of the king.” So did Saul think to deliver David into 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 had repeated to David the words that Saul had spoken, the word was pleasing in the eyes of David, so that he would become son-in-law of the king.
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.
And after a few days, David, rising up, went with the men who were under him, and he struck down two hundred men of the Philistines. And he brought their foreskins, and he counted them out for the king, so that he might be his son-in-law. And so, Saul gave to him his daughter Michal as wife.
28 And Saul sees and knows that YHWH [is] with David, and Michal daughter of Saul has loved him,
And Saul saw and understood that the Lord was with David. And Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved him.
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 began to fear David all the more. And Saul became the enemy of David, every 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.
And the leaders of the Philistines departed. And from the beginning of their departure, David conducted himself more prudently than all the servants of Saul, and his name became exceedingly celebrated.
