1 Samuel 18
1 After David finished talking with Saul, [he met Saul’s son, Jonathan.] Jonathan [immediately] liked David; in fact, he began to love/like him as much as he loved/liked himself.
[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 From that day, Saul kept David with him, and did not let him return home.
[And Saul took him in that day, and did not suffer him to return to his father's house. ]
3 Because Jonathan loved David so much, he made a solemn agreement with David. [They promised each other that they would always be loyal friends].
[And Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. ]
4 Jonathan took off his own outer robe and gave it to David. He also gave David his soldier’s tunic, his sword, his bow [and arrows], and his belt.
[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 [David went wherever Saul sent him. And] whatever Saul told him to do, David did it very successfully. As a result, Saul appointed David to be a commander in the army. All the officers and other men in the army (approved of/were very pleased with) that.
[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 But, when the men in the army were returning home after David had killed Goliath, the women came out from many [HYP] towns in Israel to meet/greet King Saul. They were singing and dancing very joyfully, playing tambourines and lyres.
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 As they danced, they sang this song to each other: “Saul has killed 1,000 [enemy soldiers], But David has killed 10,000 [of them].”
And the women began [the strain], and said, Saul has struck his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
8 [When] Saul [heard them singing that, he] did not like it. He became very angry. He said [to himself], “They are saying that David [killed] 10,000 men, but that I [have killed] only 1,000. Soon they will want to make him their king!” [RHQ]
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 From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious [that David would try to become king].
[And Saul eyed David from that day and onward. ]
10 The next day, an evil spirit sent by God suddenly took control of Saul. He began to act like a madman, inside his house. David was playing the lyre for him, as he did every day. Saul was holding a spear in his hand,
[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 he hurled it [at David], saying to himself, “I will fasten David to the wall with the spear!” He did that two times, but David jumped aside [both times].
[And Saul took his spear and said, I will strike David even to the wall. But David escaped twice from his presence. ]
12 Because [it became evident that] Yahweh had abandoned Saul but [that] he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
And Saul was alarmed on account of David.
13 So he appointed David as a commander of 1,000 soldiers and sent David away from him, [hoping that David would be killed in a battle]. But when David led his soldiers [in their battles],
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 he always had great success, because Yahweh was helping him.
And David was prudent in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.
15 When Saul heard that David [and his soldiers were] very successful, he became more afraid of David.
And Saul saw that he was very wise, and he was afraid of him.
16 But all the people of Israel and of Judah loved David, because he led the soldiers very successfully [in the battles].
And all Israel and Juda loved David, because he came in and went out before the people.
17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter, Merab, to be your wife. I will do that if you serve me bravely by fighting battles for Yahweh [against the Philistines]”. He said that because he thought, “I will not try to get rid of David by myself. I will allow the Philistines to do that.”
[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 But David said to Saul, “I am not [RHQ] a very important person, and my family is not very important, and my clan is not a very important Israeli clan. So I do not deserve to become your son-in-law.” [RHQ]
[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 So, when it was time for Merab to be given to David to become his wife, instead, Saul gave her to a man named Adriel, from Meholah [town].
[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 But Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
And Melchol the daughter of Saul loved David; and it was told Saul, and the thing was pleasing in his eyes.
21 He thought, “I will let Michal marry him, in order that she may trap him, and the Philistines will be able to kill him.” So he said to David, [“You can marry Michal],” and by saying that, he indicated for the second time that David would become his son-in-law.
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 Saul told his servants, “Talk to David privately, and say to him, ‘Listen, the king is pleased with you, and all of us his servants love you. So now [we think that] you should [marry Michal and] become the king’s son-in-law.’”
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 So they told that to David. But David said, “It would be a great honor [RHQ] to become the king’s son-in-law. But [I do not think that I should do that, because] I am only a poor and insignificant man.”
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 When the servants told Saul what David had said,
And the servants of Saul reported to him according to these words, which David spoke.
25 Saul replied, “Go and say to David, ‘[In order for] the king [to allow you to marry Michal, he] wants [you to kill] 100 Philistines [and cut off] their foreskins [and bring the foreskins to him to prove that you have killed them]. In that way he will get revenge on his enemies.’” But what Saul wanted was that the Philistines would kill David [while David was trying to kill them].
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 When the servants told that to David, he was very pleased that he could become the king’s son-in-law [by doing that. The king had said how many days he would allow for David to do that]. But before that time ended,
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 David and his men went and killed, [not 100, but] 200 Philistines! He brought their foreskins to Saul, and counted them [while Saul was watching], in order to prove that he had [done what the king required so that he could become Saul’s son-in-law. So then Saul was obligated] to allow David to marry his daughter Michal.
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 But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
And Saul saw that the Lord [was] with David, and [that] all Israel loved him.
29 he became more afraid of David. So, as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
And he was yet more afraid of David.
30 The Philistine armies repeatedly came to fight the Israelis, but every time they fought, David and his soldiers were more successful than any of Saul’s other army commanders. As a result, David became very famous.
[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. ]
