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.
When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to 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.
Saul took David into his service that day; he 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 and David made a covenant of friendship because Jonathan 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.
Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David with his armor, as well as his sword, bow, and 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.
David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he succeeded. Saul set him over the men of war. This was pleasing in the eyes of all the people and also in the sight 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;
As they came home from defeating the Philistines, the women came from all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
7 and the women answer—those playing, and say, “Saul has struck among his thousands, And David among his myriads.”
The women sang one to another as they played. They sang: “Saul has killed 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?”
Saul was very angry, and this song displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but they have ascribed only thousands to me. What more can he have but the monarchy?”
9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.
Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.
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 harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he raved within the house. So David played his instrument, as he did each day. Saul had 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.
Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from Saul's presence twice in this way.
12 And Saul is afraid of the presence of David, for YHWH has been with him, and He has turned aside from Saul;
Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with him, but was no longer with 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 removed him from his presence and appointed him a commander of a thousand. In this way David went out and came in before the people.
14 And David is acting wisely in all his ways, and YHWH [is] with him,
David was prospering in all his ways, for Yahweh was with him.
15 and Saul sees that he is acting very wisely, and is afraid of him,
When Saul saw that he prospered, he stood in awe 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, 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.”
Then Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as a wife. Only be courageous for me and fight Yahweh's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on 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?”
David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, or my father's clan in Israel, that I should 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 at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
But Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. They told Saul, and this 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.”
Then Saul thought, “I will give her to him, so that she can be a trap for him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You will 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.”
Saul commanded his servants, “Speak with David in private, and say, 'See, the king takes pleasure in you, and all his servants love you. Now then, become 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?”
So Saul's servants spoke these words to David. Then David said, “Is it a small matter to you to be the king's son-in-law, since 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.”
The servants of Saul reported to him the 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.
Then Saul said, “Say this to David, 'The king does not desire any price for the bride except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged from the king's enemies.'” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand 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 his servants told David these words, it pleased 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.
Before those days had expired, David went with his men and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, so that he might be the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter as his wife.
28 And Saul sees and knows that YHWH [is] with David, and Michal daughter of Saul has loved him,
When Saul saw, and he knew that Yahweh was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, 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.
Saul was even more afraid of David. Saul was continually 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.
Then the princes of the Philistines came out for battle, and as often as they came out, David succeeded more than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly regarded.
