1 Samuel 18
1 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.
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.
2 Saul took David into his service that day; he did not let him return to his father's house.
From that day, Saul kept David with him, and did not let him return home.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant of friendship because Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
Because Jonathan loved David so much, he made a solemn agreement with David. [They promised each other that they would always be loyal friends].
4 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.
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.
5 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.
[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.
6 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.
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.
7 The women sang one to another as they played. They sang: “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
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].”
8 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?”
[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]
9 Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.
From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious [that David would try to become king].
10 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.
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,
11 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.
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].
12 Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with him, but was no longer with Saul.
Because [it became evident that] Yahweh had abandoned Saul but [that] he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
13 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.
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],
14 David was prospering in all his ways, for Yahweh was with him.
he always had great success, because Yahweh was helping him.
15 When Saul saw that he prospered, he stood in awe of him.
When Saul heard that David [and his soldiers were] very successful, he became more afraid of David.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.
But all the people of Israel and of Judah loved David, because he led the soldiers very successfully [in the battles].
17 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.”
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.”
18 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?”
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]
19 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.
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].
20 But Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. They told Saul, and this pleased him.
But Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
21 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.”
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.
22 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.'”
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.’”
23 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?”
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.”
24 The servants of Saul reported to him the words which David spoke.
When the servants told Saul what David had said,
25 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.
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].
26 When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to be the king's son-in-law.
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,
27 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.
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.
28 When Saul saw, and he knew that Yahweh was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him,
But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
29 Saul was even more afraid of David. Saul was continually David's enemy.
he became more afraid of David. So, as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
30 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.
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.
