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 came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as 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 let him return to his father’s house.
3 And Jonathan makes—David also—a covenant, because he loves him as his own soul,
And David and Jonathan made a covenant, for be loved him as 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 stripped himself of the coat with which he was clothed, and gave it to David, and the rest of his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
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 out to whatsoever business Saul sent him, and he behaved himself prudently: and Saul set him over the soldiers, and he was acceptable in the eyes of all the people, and especially in the eyes of 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 when David returned, after be slew the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels of joy, and cornets.
7 and the women answer—those playing, and say, “Saul has struck among his thousands, And David among his myriads.”
And the women sung as they played, and they said: I Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten 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 exceeding angry, and this word was displeasing in his eyes, and he said: They have given David ten thousands, and to me they have given but a thousand; what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.
And Saul did not look on David with a good eye from that day and forward.
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,
And the day after the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of his house. And David played with his hand as at other times. And Saul held a 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 threw it, thinking to nail David to the wall: and David stept aside out of his presence 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 feared David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from himself.
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 removed him from him, and made him a captain over a thousand men, and he went out and came in before the people.
14 And David is acting wisely in all his ways, and YHWH [is] with him,
And David behaved wisely 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 Saul saw that he was exceeding prudent, and began to beware of him.
16 and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them.
But all Israel and Juda loved David, for he came in and went out 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 Merob, her will I give thee to wife: only be a valiant man, and fight the battles of the Lord. Now Saul said within himself: 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?”
And David said to Saul: Who am I, or what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be 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.
And it came to pass at the time when Merob the daughter of Saul should have been given to David, that she was given to Hadriel the Molathite to wife.
20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
But Michol the other daughter of Saul loved David. And it was told 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, that she may be a stumblingblock to him, and that the band of the Philistines may be upon him. And Saul said to David: In two things thou shalt be my son in law this day.
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 thou pleasest the king, and all his servants love thee. Now therefore 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 the servants of Saul spoke all these words in the ears of David. And David said: Doth it seem to you a small matter to be the king’s son in law? But I am a poor man, and of small ability.
24 And the servants of Saul declare [it] to him, saying, “David has spoken according to these words.”
And the servants of Saul told him, saying: Such words as these hath David spoken.
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: Speak thus to David: The king desireth not any dowry, but only a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. Now Saul thought 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 told David the words that Saul had said, the word was pleasing in the eyes of David to be the king’s son in law.
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 rose up, and went with the men that were under him, and he slew of the Philistines two hundred men, and brought their foreskins and numbered them out to the king, that he might be his son in law. Saul therefore gave him Michol his daughter to 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 Michol 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 more: and Saul became David’s enemy continually.
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 princes of the Philistines went forth: and from the beginning of their going forth, David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, and his name became very famous.
