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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I Samuel 18: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
1 Samuel 18
18
David and Jonathan. 1By the time David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan’s life became bound up with David’s life; he loved him as his very self.#1 Sm 19:1–7; 20:17; 23:16; 2 Sm 1:26; 9:1. 2Saul retained David on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house.#1 Sm 16:21; 17:15. 3Jonathan and David made a covenant, because Jonathan loved him as his very self. 4Jonathan took off#Jonathan took off: with the details in this verse, the narrator identifies David as Jonathan’s replacement and Saul’s heir to the throne. Cf. 23:17 and Gn 41:39–43. the cloak he was wearing and handed it over to David, along with his military dress, even his sword, bow, and belt.#2 Sm 1:22. 5David then carried out successfully every mission on which Saul sent him. So Saul put him in charge of his soldiers; this met with the approval of the whole army, even Saul’s officers.
Saul’s Jealousy. 6At the approach of Saul and David, on David’s return after striking down the Philistine, women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet Saul the king, singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and stringed instruments.#Stringed instruments: perhaps a lute-like instrument with three strings; the Hebrew word, shalshim, perhaps related to the root shlsh (“three”), occurs only here in the Old Testament. #Ex 15:20–21; Jgs 11:34; Jdt 15:12. 7The women played and sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
David his tens of thousands.”#1 Sm 21:12; 29:5; Ps 91:7; Sir 47:6–7.
8Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought: “They give David tens of thousands, but only thousands to me. All that remains for him is the kingship.” 9From that day on, Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
10#1 Sm 16:14; 19:9–10; 20:33; 22:6; 26:8. The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raged in his house. David was in attendance, playing the harp as at other times, while Saul was holding his spear. 11Saul poised the spear, thinking, “I will nail David to the wall!” But twice David escaped him. 12Saul then began to fear David because the Lord was with him but had turned away from Saul. 13Saul sent him out of his presence and appointed him a field officer. So David led the people on their military expeditions 14and prospered in all his ways, for the Lord was with him. 15Seeing how he prospered, Saul feared David. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, since he led them on their expeditions.#Led them on their expeditions: lit., “go out and come in,” i.e., through the city gates; an idiom for military victory. #2 Sm 5:2.
Saul Plots Against David. 17Saul said to David, “Look, I will give you my older daughter, Merob, in marriage if you become my warrior and fight the battles of the Lord.” Saul thought, “I will not lay a hand on him. Let the hand of the Philistines strike him.”#1 Sm 14:49; 17:25. 18But David answered Saul: “Who am I? And who are my kindred or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” 19But when the time came for Saul’s daughter Merob to be given to David, she was given as wife to Adriel the Meholathite instead.#1 Sm 21:8; 24:16.
20Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. When this was reported to Saul, he was pleased.#1 Sm 14:49; 25:44; 26:23; 2 Sm 3:13. 21He thought, “I will offer her to him as a trap, so that the hand of the Philistines may strike him.” So for the second time Saul said to David, “You shall become my son-in-law today.” 22Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David privately and say: The king favors you, and all his officers love you. You should become son-in-law to the king.” 23But when Saul’s servants mentioned this to David, he said: “Is becoming the king’s son-in-law a trivial matter in your eyes? I am poor and insignificant.” 24When his servants reported David’s answer to him, 25Saul commanded them, “Say this to David: The king desires no other price for the bride than the foreskins of one hundred Philistines, that he may thus take vengeance on his enemies.” Saul intended to have David fall into the hands of the Philistines.#1 Sm 17:26; Gn 34:12. 26When the servants reported this offer to David, he was pleased with the prospect of becoming the king’s son-in-law. Before the year was up, 27David arose and went with his men and slew two hundred Philistines. He brought back their foreskins and counted them out before the king that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal as wife. 28Then Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his own daughter Michal loved David. 29So Saul feared David all the more and was his enemy ever after.
30The Philistine chiefs continued to make forays, but each time they took the field, David was more successful against them than any of Saul’s other officers, and his name was held in great esteem.
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