1 Samuel 18
18
Saul Fears David
1When David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan felt very close to David. He loved David as much as he loved himself. 2Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him go home to his father’s house. 3Jonathan made an agreement with David, because he loved David as much as himself. 4He took off his coat and gave it to David, along with his armor, including his sword, bow, and belt.
5Saul sent David to fight in different battles, and David was very successful. Then Saul put David over the soldiers, which pleased Saul’s officers and all the other people.
6After David had killed the Philistine, he and the men returned home. Women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul. They sang songs of joy, danced, and played tambourines and stringed instruments. 7As they played, they sang,
“Saul has killed thousands of his enemies,
but David has killed tens of thousands.”
8The women’s song upset Saul, and he became very angry. He thought, “The women say David has killed tens of thousands, but they say I have killed only thousands. The only thing left for him to have is the kingdom!” 9So Saul watched David closely from then on, because he was jealous.
10The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in his house. David was playing the harp as he usually did, but Saul had a spear in his hand. 11He threw the spear, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from him twice.
12The Lord was with David but had left Saul. So Saul was afraid of David. 13He sent David away and made him commander of a thousand soldiers. So David led them in battle. 14He had great success in everything he did because the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw that David was very successful, he feared David even more. 16But all the people of Israel and Judah loved David because he led them well in battle.
Saul’s Daughter Marries David
17Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will let you marry her. All I ask is that you remain brave and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul thought, “I won’t have to kill David. The Philistines will do that.”
18But David answered Saul, saying, “Who am I? My family is not important enough for me to become the king’s son-in-law.” 19So, when the time came for Saul’s daughter Merab to marry David, Saul gave her instead to Adriel of Meholah.
20Now Saul’s other daughter, Michal, loved David. When they told Saul, he was pleased. 21He thought, “I will let her marry David. Then she will be a trap for him, and the Philistines will defeat him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You may become my son-in-law.”
22And Saul ordered his servants to talk with David in private and say, “Look, the king likes you. His servants love you. You should be his son-in-law.”
23Saul’s servants said these words to David, but David answered, “Do you think it is easy to become the king’s son-in-law? I am poor and unimportant.”
24When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25Saul said, “Tell David, ‘The king doesn’t want money for the bride. All he wants is a hundred Philistine foreskins to get even with his enemies.’ ” Saul planned to let the Philistines kill David.
26When Saul’s servants told this to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. 27So he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought all their foreskins to Saul so he could be the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife. 28Saul saw that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David. 29So he grew even more afraid of David, and he was David’s enemy all his life.
30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to fight the Israelites, but every time, David was more skillful than Saul’s officers. So he became famous.
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1 Samuel 18: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
I Samuel 18
18
Saul Resents David
1Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, #1 Sam. 17:12the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, #Gen. 44:30and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2Saul took him that day, #Deut. 13:6; 1 Sam. 20:17; 2 Sam. 1:26and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. 3Then Jonathan and David made a #1 Sam. 17:15covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
5So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved 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. 6Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that #1 Sam. 20:8–17the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7So the women #Ex. 15:20, 21; Judg. 11:34; Ps. 68:25; 149:3sang as they danced, and said:
#Ex. 15:21“Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.”
8Then Saul was very angry, and the saying #1 Sam. 21:11; 29:5displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but #Eccl. 4:4the kingdom?” 9So Saul eyed David from that day forward.
10And it happened on the next day that #1 Sam. 15:28the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, #1 Sam. 16:14and he prophesied inside the house. So David #1 Sam. 19:24; 1 Kin. 18:29; Acts 16:16played music with his hand, as at other times; #1 Sam. 16:23but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. 11And Saul #1 Sam. 19:9, 10cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.
12Now Saul was #1 Sam. 19:10; 20:33afraid of David, because #1 Sam. 18:15, 29the Lord was with him, but had #1 Sam. 16:13, 18departed from Saul. 13Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and #1 Sam. 16:14; 28:15he went out and came in before the people. 14And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and #Num. 27:17; 1 Sam. 18:16; 29:6; 2 Sam. 5:2the Lord was with him. 15Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. 16But #Gen. 39:2, 3, 23; Josh. 6:27; 1 Sam. 16:18all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
David Marries Michal
17Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; #Num. 27:16, 17; 1 Sam. 18:5; 2 Sam. 5:2; 1 Kin. 3:7I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight #1 Sam. 14:49; 17:25the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, #Num. 32:20, 27, 29; 1 Sam. 25:28“Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18So David said to Saul, #1 Sam. 18:21, 25; 2 Sam. 12:9“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?” 19But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to #1 Sam. 9:21; 18:23; 2 Sam. 7:18Adriel the #2 Sam. 21:8Meholathite as a wife.
20#Judg. 7:22; 2 Sam. 21:8; 1 Kin. 19:16Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that #1 Sam. 18:28the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, #1 Sam. 18:17“You shall be my son-in-law today.”
22And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”
23So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” 24And the servants of Saul told him, saying, “In this manner David spoke.”
25Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any #1 Sam. 18:26dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take #Gen. 34:12; Ex. 22:17vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul #1 Sam. 14:24thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now #1 Sam. 18:17the days had not expired; 27therefore David arose and went, he and #1 Sam. 18:21his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And #1 Sam. 18:13David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.
28Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; 29and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually. 30Then the princes of the Philistines #2 Sam. 3:14went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David #2 Sam. 11:1behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.