< 1 Samuel 18 >

1 And it was doon, whanne Dauid `hadde endid to speke to Saul, the soule of Jonathas was glued togidre to the soule of Dauid, and Jonathas louyde hym as his owne soule.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that, the soul of Jonathan, was knit with, the soul of David, so that Jonathan loved him, as his own soul.
2 And Saul took Dauid in that dai, and grauntide not `to hym, `that he schulde turne ayen in to `the hows of his fadir.
And Saul took him, that day, —and suffered him not to return unto the house of his father.
3 Forsothe Jonathas and Dauid maden boond of pees, `that is, swerynge euerlastynge frenschip; for Jonathas louyde Dauid as his owne soule;
And Jonathan and David solemnised a covenant, —because he loved him as his own soul.
4 for whi Jonathas dispuylide him silf fro the coote `in which he was clothid, and yaf it to Dauid, and hise othere clothis, `til to his swerd and bouwe, and `til to the girdil.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe which was upon him, and gave it to David, —and his equipments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
5 Also Dauid yede out to alle thingis, to what euer thingis Saul `hadde sent hym, and he gouernede hym silf prudentli; and Saul settide hym ouer the men of batel, and `he was acceptid, `ether plesaunt, in the iyen of al the puple, and moost in the siyt of `the seruauntis of Saul.
And David went forth—whithersoever Saul sent him, he behaved himself prudently, so Saul set him over the men of war, —and he became a favourite in the eyes of all the people, yea even in the eyes of the servants of Saul.
6 Forsothe whanne Dauid turnede ayen, whanne `the Filistei was slayn, and bar the heed of `the Filistei in to Jerusalem, wymmen yeden out of alle the citees of Israel, and sungen, and ledden queris, ayens the comyng of king Saul, in tympans of gladnesse, and in trumpis.
But so it was, when they came in on the return of David from the smiting of the Philistine, that the women went forth out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet Saul the king, —with timbrels, with rejoicing, and with instruments of three strings.
7 And the wymmen sungen, pleiynge, and seiynge, Saul smoot a thousynde, and Dauid smoot ten thousynde.
And the women that made merry responded to each other in song, and said, —Saul, hath smitten, his thousands, but, David, his, tens of thousands.
8 Saul was wrooth greetli, and this word displeside `in his iyen; and he seide, Thei yauen ten thousynde to Dauid, and `thei yauen a thousynde to me; what leeueth to hym, no but the rewme aloone?
Then was Saul exceeding angry, and this saying was offensive in his eyes, and he said, —They have ascribed, to David, ten thousands, but, to me, have they ascribed thousands, —What, more, then, can he have but, the kingdom?
9 Therfor Saul bihelde Dauid not with `riytful iyen, `fro that dai and afterward.
And Saul was eyeing David from that day forward.
10 Sotheli aftir the tother dai a wickid spirit of God asailide Saul, and he propheciede in the myddis of his hows.
And, when it came to pass, on the morrow, that a superhuman spirit of sadness came suddenly upon Saul, and he was moved to raving in the midst of the house, —and, David, began playing with his hand, as he had done day by day, that a spear being in Saul’s hand,
11 Forsothe Dauid harpide with his hond, as bi alle daies; and Saul helde a spere, and caste it, and gesside that he myyte prene Dauid with the wal, that is, perse with the spere, so that it schulde passe til to the wal; and Dauid bowide `fro his face the secounde tyme.
Saul hurled the spear, and said to himself—I will smite David, even to the wall! But David moved round from before him, twice.
12 And Saul dredde Dauid, for the Lord was with hym, and hadde go awei fro him silf.
And Saul feared because of David, —for Yahweh was with him, whereas, from Saul, he had departed.
13 Therfor Saul remouide Dauid fro hym silf, and made hym tribune on a thousynde men; and Dauid yede out and entride in `the siyt of the puple.
So Saul removed him from him, and appointed him to be for him the captain of a thousand, —and he went out and came in before the people.
14 And Dauid dide warli in alle hise weies, and the Lord was with hym;
And it came to pass that David, in all his ways, acted prudently, —and, Yahweh, was with him.
15 and so Saul siy that Dauid was ful prudent, and he bigan to be war of Dauid.
And, when Saul saw that, he, was acting very prudently, he was afraid of him.
16 Forsothe al Israel and Juda louyden Dauid; for he entride and yede out bifor hem.
But, all Israel and Judah, were in love with David, —for he was going out and coming in before them.
17 And Saul seide to Dauid, Lo! `my more douytir Merob, Y schal yiue her wijf to thee; oneli be thou a strong man, and fiyte thou the `batels of the Lord. Forsothe Saul `arettide, and seide, Myn hond be not in hym, but the hond of Filisteis be on hym.
So then Saul said unto David—Lo! my elder daughter Merab, her, will I give thee to wife, only, approve thyself unto me as a son of valour and fight the battles of Yahweh. Saul, however, had said to himself—Let not, my own hand, be upon him, but let, the hand of the Philistines, be upon him.
18 Sotheli Dauid seide to Saul, Who am Y, ether what is my lijf, ether the meynee of my fadir in Israel, that Y be maad the `sone in lawe of the kyng?
And David said unto Saul—Who am, I, or who are my kinsfolk, the family of my father, in Israel, —that I should become son-in-law, to the king?
19 Forsothe the tyme `was maad whanne Merob, the douyter of Saul, `ouyte to be youun to Dauid, sche was youun wijf to Hadriel Molatite.
But it came to pass, within the time for giving Merab daughter of Saul to David, that, she, was given to Adriel the Meholathite, to wife.
20 Forsothe Dauid louide Mychol, the douytir of Saul; and it was teld to Saul, and it pleside hym.
Then did Michal, Saul’s daughter, love David, —and it was told Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes.
21 And Saul seide, Y schal yyue hir to hym, that it be to hym in to sclaundir, and the hond of Filisteis be on hym. Therfor Saul seide to Dauid, In `twei douytris thou schalt be my sone in lawe to dai.
And Saul said to himself—I will give her unto him, that she may prove to him a snare, and that, the hand of the Philistines, may be upon him. So then Saul said unto David, A second time, mayest thou become my son-in-law to-day.
22 And Saul comaundide to hise seruauntis, Speke ye to Dauid, while it `is hid fro me, and seie ye, Lo! thou plesist the king, and alle hise seruauntis louen thee; now therfor be thou hosebonde of the `douytir of the kyng.
And Saul commanded his servants—Speak ye unto David quietly saying, Lo! the king delighteth in thee, and, all his servants, love thee, —now, therefore, become thou son-in-law to the king.
23 And the seruauntis of Saul spaken alle these wordis in the eeris of Dauid. And Dauid seide, Whether it semeth litil to you `to be sone in lawe of the kyng? Forsothe Y am a pore man, and a feble.
And the servants of Saul spake, in the ears of David, these words. And David said—Seemeth it a light thing, in your eyes, to become son-in-law to the king, seeing that, I, am a poor man and lightly esteemed?
24 And the seruauntis telden to Saul, and seiden, Dauid spak siche wordis.
So the servants of Saul told him, saying, —According to these words, spake David,
25 Sotheli Saul seide, Thus speke ye to Dauid, The kyng hath no nede to yiftis for spowsails, no but onely to an hundrid prepucies, `that is, mennus yerdis vncircumcidid, `of Filisteis, that veniaunce be maad of the kyngis enemyes. Certis Saul thouyte to bitake Dauid in to the hondis of Filisteis.
Then said Saul—Thus, shall ye say unto David—The king hath no delight in purchase-price, but rather in a hundred foreskins of Philistines, by avenging himself on the enemies of the king. But, Saul, thought to let David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26 And whanne the seruauntis of Saul hadden teld to Dauid the wordis, whiche Saul hadde seid, the word pleside `in the iyen of Dauid, that he schulde be maad the kyngis son in lawe.
So, when his servants told David these words, the thing was right in the eyes of David, to become son-in-law unto the king, —and the days had not expired.
27 And aftir a fewe daies Dauid roos, and yede in to Acharon, with the men that weren with hym, and he killide of Filisteis twei hundrid men; and brouyte `the prepucies of hem, and noumbride tho to the kyng, that he schulde be the kyngis sone in lawe. And so Saul yaf Mycol, his douyter, wiif to hym.
Wherefore David arose, and went—he and his men, and smote among the Philistines two hundred men, and David brought in their foreskins, and gave them in full tale unto the king, that he might become son-in-law unto the king, and Saul gave him Michal his daughter, to wife.
28 And Saul siy, and vndirstood, that the Lord was with Dauid.
And Saul saw and knew that, Yahweh, was with David, and that, all Israel, loved him.
29 Forsothe Mychol, `the douyter of Saul, louide Dauid, and Saul bigan more to drede Dauid; and Saul was maad enemye to Dauid in alle daies.
So then Saul went on to fear because of David, yet more, —and it came to pass that Saul was hostile to David, all the days.
30 And the princes of Filisteis yeden out; forsothe fro the bigynnyng of her goyng out Dauyd bar hym silf more warli than alle the men of Saul; and the name of Dauid was maad ful solempne.
And, when the princes of the Philistines came forth, so it was, that, as often as they came forth, David was more circumspect than any of the servants of Saul, so that his name was, precious exceedingly.

< 1 Samuel 18 >