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 finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David and David 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 in that day, and did not suffer him to return to his father's house. ]
3 And Jonathan makes—David also—a covenant, because he loves him as his own soul,
[And Jonathan and David made a covenant because he 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 his ] [upper garment, and gave it to David, and his mantle and all he had upon him, 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 withersoever Saul sent him, and ] [acted wisely, and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was pleasing in the eyes of all the people, and also in the eyes 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;
And there came out women in dances to meet David out of all the cities of Israel, with timbrels, and with rejoicing, and with cymbals.
7 and the women answer—those playing, and say, “Saul has struck among his thousands, And David among his myriads.”
And the women began [the strain], and said, Saul has struck 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 it seemed evil in the eyes of Saul concerning this matter, and he said, To David they have given ten thousands, and to me they have given thousands. [And what more can he have but the kingdom? ]
9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.
[And Saul eyed David from that day and onward. ]
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 it came to pass on the morrow that an evil spirit from God fell upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of his house. And David was playing on the harp with his hand, according to his daily custom. And Saul’s spear was 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 took his spear and said, I will strike David even to the wall. But David escaped twice from his presence. ]
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 was alarmed on account of David.
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.
And he removed him from him, and made him a captain of a thousand for himself; 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 was prudent 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 very wise, and he was afraid of him.
16 and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them.
And all Israel and Juda loved David, because he came in and went out before the people.
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, I will give her to you to Wife, only be you to me a mighty man and fight the wars of the Lord. And Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but the hand of the Philistines shall 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, and What is the life of my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son—in-law? ]
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 it came to pass at the time when Merob Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given to Israel the Mothulathite to wife. ]
20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
And Melchol the daughter of Saul loved David; and it was told Saul, and the thing was pleasing in his eyes.
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, and she shall be a stumbling block to him. Now the hand of the Philistines was against Saul.
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 charged his servants, saying, Speak you privately to David, saying, Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you, and do you becomes 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 these words in the ears of David; and David said, [Is it] a light thing in your eyes to become son-in-law to the king? Whereas I [am] an humble man, an not honorable?
24 And the servants of Saul declare [it] to him, saying, “David has spoken according to these words.”
And the servants of Saul reported to him according to these words, which David spoke.
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, Thus shall you speak to David, The king wants no gift but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to avenge himself on the kings enemies. Now Saul thought to cast him 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 the servants of Saul report these words to David, and David was well pleased to become the son-in-law to 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 David arose, and went, he and his men, and struck among the Philistines a hundred men: and he brought their foreskins, and he becomes the king's son-in-law, and [Saul] gives him Melchol 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 that the Lord [was] with David, and [that] all Israel 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 he was yet more afraid of David.
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 chief of the Philistines went forth; and it came to pass that from the suficiency of their expedition David acted Wisely above all the servants of Saul; and his name was honored exceedingly. ]
