1 Samuel 18
18
David’s Success
1When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan was bound to David in close friendship,#18:1 Lit the life of Jonathan was bound to the life of David and loved him as much as he loved himself.#1Sm 20:17; 2Sm 1:26 2Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father’s house.
3Jonathan made a covenant with David#1Sm 20:8,16; 23:18 because he loved him as much as himself. 4Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David,#Gn 41:42 along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.
6As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,#Ex 15:20–21; Jdg 11:34 singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. 7As they danced, the women sang:
Saul has killed his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands.#1Sm 21:11; 29:5
8Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” #1Sm 15:28; 24:20 9So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.
Saul Attempts to Kill David
10The next day an evil spirit sent from God came powerfully on Saul,#1Sm 16:14; 19:9 and he began to rave#18:10 Or prophesy inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual,#1Sm 16:23 but Saul was holding a spear,#1Sm 19:9 11and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.”#1Sm 19:10; 20:33 But David got away from him twice.
12Saul was afraid of David,#1Sm 18:15,29 because the Lord was with David#1Sm 16:13,18 but had left Saul.#1Sm 16:14; 17:36,47; 2Sm 5:2 13Therefore, Saul sent David away from him and made him commander over a thousand men. David led the troops#2Sm 5:2 14and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him.#1Sm 3:19; 16:18 15When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David#1Sm 18:5 because he was leading their troops. 17Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife#1Sm 17:25 if you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.”#Nm 21:14; 1Sm 17:36–37; 25:28 But Saul was thinking, “I don’t need to raise a hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”#1Sm 18:21,25
18Then David responded, “Who am I,#1Sm 9:21; 18:23; 2Sm 7:18 and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” 19When it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.#Jdg 7:22; 2Sm 21:8; 1Kg 19:16
David’s Marriage to Michal
20Now Saul’s daughter Michal#1Sm 18:28 loved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him. 21“I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him.”#1Sm 18:17 So Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.”#1Sm 18:20
22Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Therefore, you should become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David, but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor commoner.”#Gn 29:20; 34:12
24The servants reported back to Saul, “These are the words David spoke.”
25Then Saul replied, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price#Gn 34:12; Ex 22:17 except a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’”#1Sm 14:24 Actually, Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.#1Sm 18:17
26When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived, 27David and his men went out and killed two hundred#18:27 LXX reads 100 Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as full payment to the king to become his son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David as his wife.#2Sm 3:14 28Saul realized#18:28 Lit saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, 29and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.
30Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight,#2Sm 11:1 David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers.#1Sm 18:5 So his name became well known.
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1 Samuel 18: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
1 Samuel 18
18
David’s Love for Jonathan
1David finished talking to Saul. After that, Jonathan became David’s closest friend. He loved David as much as ⌞he loved⌟ himself. 2(From that day on Saul kept David ⌞as his servant⌟ and didn’t let him go back to his family.) 3So Jonathan made a pledge of mutual loyalty with David because he loved him as much as ⌞he loved⌟ himself. 4Jonathan took off the coat he had on and gave it to David along with his battle tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5David was successful wherever Saul sent him. Saul put him in charge of the fighting men. This pleased all the people, including Saul’s officials.
David’s Success Makes Saul Jealous
6As they arrived, David was returning from a campaign against the Philistines. Women from all of Israel’s cities came to meet King Saul. They sang and danced, accompanied by tambourines, joyful music, and triangles. 7The women who were celebrating sang,
“Saul has defeated thousands
but David tens of thousands!”
8Saul became very angry because he considered this saying to be insulting. “To David they credit tens of thousands,” he said, “but to me they credit ⌞only⌟ a few thousand. The only thing left for David is my kingdom.” 9From that day on Saul kept an eye on David.
10The next day an evil spirit from God seized Saul. He began to prophesy in his house while David strummed a tune on the lyre as he did every day. Now, Saul had a spear in his hand. 11He raised the spear and thought, “I’ll nail David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice.
12Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul. 13So he kept David away. He made David captain of a regiment. David led the troops out ⌞to battle⌟ and back again. 14He was successful in everything he undertook because the Lord was with him. 15Saul noticed how very successful he was and became ⌞even more⌟ afraid of him. 16Everyone in Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in and out ⌞of battle⌟.
17Finally, Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife if you prove yourself to be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” (Saul thought, “I must not lay a hand on him. Let the Philistines do that.”)
18“Who am I?” David asked Saul. “And how important are my relatives or my father’s family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”
19But when the time came to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was married to Adriel from Meholah. 20However, Saul’s daughter Michal fell in love with David. When Saul was told about it, the news pleased him. 21Saul thought, “I’ll give her to David. She will trap him, and the Philistines will get him.” So he said to David a second time, “You will now be my son-in-law.”
22Saul ordered his officers, “Talk to David in private. Tell him, ‘The king likes you, and all his officers are fond of you. Become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”
23When Saul’s officers made it a point to say this, David asked, “Do you think it’s easy to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor and unimportant person.”
24When the officers told Saul what David had said, 25Saul replied, “Tell David, ‘The king doesn’t want any payment for the bride except 100 Philistine foreskins so that he can get revenge on his enemies.’ ” In this way Saul planned to have David fall into the hands of the Philistines. 26When his officers told David this, David concluded that it was acceptable to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the time was up, 27David and his men went out and struck down 200 Philistines. David brought the foreskins, and they counted them out for the king so that David could become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal as his wife. 28Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David. 29Then Saul was even more afraid of David, and so Saul became David’s constant enemy.
30The Philistine generals still went out ⌞to fight Israel⌟. But whenever they went out ⌞to fight⌟, David was more successful than the rest of Saul’s officers. So David gained a good reputation.
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