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 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 let him go no more home 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, 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 the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to 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.
And David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight 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;
And it came to pass as they came, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with 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 spoke to one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain 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 very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.
And Saul kept a jealous eye on 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 next day, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s 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 cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David escaped from 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 was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and had departed 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 removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; 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 himself 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,
Therefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid 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, because 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, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee for a wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand 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? and what is my life, or my father’s family 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 it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing 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 snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the two.
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, saying, Speak with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, 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 Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that 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.”
And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spoke David.
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 ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But 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,
And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days had not expired.
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.
Therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife.
28 And Saul sees and knows that YHWH [is] with David, and Michal daughter of Saul has loved him,
And Saul saw and knew that the LORD 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.
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; 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.
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much esteemed.
