1 Samuel 18
1 Or il arriva qu'aussitôt que David eut achevé de parler à Saül, l'âme de Jonathan fut liée à l'âme de [David], tellement que Jonathan l'aima comme son âme.
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 Ce jour-là donc Saül le prit, et ne lui permit plus de retourner en la maison de son père.
From that day, Saul kept David with him, and did not let him return home.
3 Et Jonathan fit alliance avec David, parce qu'il l'aimait comme son âme.
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 Et Jonathan se dépouilla du manteau qu'il portait, et le donna à David, avec ses vêtements, même jusqu'à son épée, son arc, et son baudrier.
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 Et David était employé aux affaires; [et] partout où Saül l'envoyait, il réussissait; de sorte que Saül l'établit sur des gens de guerre, et il fut agréable à tout le peuple, et même aux serviteurs de Saül.
[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 Or il arriva que comme ils revenaient, et que David retournait de la défaite du Philistin, il sortit des femmes de toutes les villes d'Israël, en chantant et dansant au devant du Roi Saül, avec des tambours, avec joie, et avec des cymbales.
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 Et les femmes qui jouaient [des instruments] s'entre répondaient, et disaient: Saül a frappé ses mille, et David ses dix mille.
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 Et Saül fut fort irrité, et cette parole lui déplut, et il dit: Elles en ont donné dix mille à David, et à moi, mille; il ne lui manque donc plus que le Royaume.
[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 Depuis ce jour-là Saül avait l'œil sur David.
From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious [that David would try to become king].
10 Et il arriva, dès le lendemain que l'esprit malin [envoyé] de Dieu saisit Saül, et il faisait le Prophète au milieu de la maison, et David joua de sa main, comme les autres jours, et Saül avait une hallebarde en sa main.
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 Et Saül lança la hallebarde, disant en soi-même: Je frapperai David, et la muraille; mais David se détourna de devant lui par deux fois.
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 Saül donc avait peur de la présence de David, parce que l'Eternel était avec David, et qu'il s'était rétiré d'avec Saül.
Because [it became evident that] Yahweh had abandoned Saul but [that] he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
13 C'est pourquoi Saül éloigna [David] de lui, et l'établit capitaine de mille [hommes]; et [David] allait et venait devant le peuple.
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 Et David réussissait en tout ce qu'il entreprenait, car l'Eternel était avec lui.
he always had great success, because Yahweh was helping him.
15 Saül donc voyant que David prospérait beaucoup, le craignit.
When Saul heard that David [and his soldiers were] very successful, he became more afraid of David.
16 Mais tout Israël et Juda aimaient David, parce qu'il allait et venait devant eux.
But all the people of Israel and of Judah loved David, because he led the soldiers very successfully [in the battles].
17 Et Saül dit à David: Voici, je te donnerai Mérab ma fille aînée pour femme; sois-moi seulement un fils vertueux, et conduis les batailles de l'Eternel; car Saül disait: Que ma main ne soit point sur lui, mais que la main des Philistins soit sur lui.
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 Et David répondit à Saül: Qui suis-je, et quelle est ma vie, [et] la famille de mon père en Israël, que je sois gendre du Roi?
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 Or il arriva qu'au temps qu'on devait donner Mérab fille de Saül à David, on la donna pour femme à Hadrièl Méholathite.
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 Mais Mical [l'autre] fille de Saül aima David; ce qu'on rapporta à Saül, et la chose lui plut.
But Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
21 Et Saül dit: Je la lui donnerai afin qu'elle lui soit en piège, et que par ce moyen la main des Philistins soit sur lui. Saül donc dit à David: Tu seras aujourd'hui mon gendre par [l'une de] mes deux [filles].
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 Et Saül commanda à ses serviteurs de parler à David en secret, et de lui dire: Voici, le Roi prend plaisir en toi, et tous ses serviteurs t'aiment; sois donc maintenant gendre du Roi.
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 Les serviteurs donc de Saül redirent toutes ces paroles à David, et David dit: Pensez-vous que ce soit peu de chose d'être gendre du Roi, vu que je suis un pauvre homme, et de nulle estime?
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 Et les serviteurs de Saül lui rapportèrent cela, [et lui] dirent: David a tenu de tels discours.
When the servants told Saul what David had said,
25 Et Saül dit: Vous parlerez ainsi à David: Le Roi ne demande d'autre douaire, que cent prépuces de Philistins, afin que le Roi soit vengé de ses ennemis. Or Saül avait dessein de faire tomber David entre les mains des Philistins.
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 Et les serviteurs de Saül rapportèrent tous ces discours à David; et la chose lui plut, pour être gendre du Roi. Et avant que les jours fussent accomplis,
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 David se leva, et s'en alla, lui et ses gens, et frappa deux cents hommes des Philistins; et David apporta leurs prépuces, et on les livra bien comptés au Roi, afin qu'il fût gendre du Roi. Et Saül lui donna pour femme Mical sa fille.
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 Alors Saül aperçut et connut que l'Eternel était avec David; et Mical fille de Saül l'aimait.
But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
29 Et Saül continua de craindre David, encore plus [qu'auparavant], tellement que Saül fut toujours ennemi de David.
he became more afraid of David. So, as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
30 Or les capitaines des Philistins sortirent [en campagne], et dès qu'ils furent sortis, David réussit mieux que tous les serviteurs de Saül; et son nom fut en fort grande estime.
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.
