1 Samuel 18
18
1After David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan became great friends with David. He loved David as he loved himself. 2From that time on Jonathan had David work for him and would not let him go back home. 3Jonathan made a solemn agreement with David because he loved him as he loved himself. 4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, together with his tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.#18:4. These actions were a way of confirming the agreement.
5David was successful in doing everything Saul asked him to do, so Saul made him an officer in the army. This pleased everyone, including Saul's other officers.
6When the soldiers returned home after David had killed the Philistine, the women of all the towns of Israel came out singing and dancing to meet King Saul, happily celebrating with tambourines and musical instruments. 7As they danced the women sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
8What they were singing made Saul very angry as he didn't think it was right. He said to himself, “They've given David credit for killing tens of thousands, but only thousands to me. All that's left is to give him the kingdom!” 9From that time on Saul viewed David with suspicion.
10The following day an evil spirit from God came on Saul with power, and he was ranting#18:10. “Ranting”: the word is normally translated “prophesying,” (see for example 10:10 when it is applied to Saul), but the main function of a true prophet of God was to deliver messages from God. That the source was “an evil spirit” does not fit such a picture, even if the evil spirit “came from God.” inside the house while David played the harp as he regularly did. Saul happened to be holding a spear, 11and he threw it at David, saying to himself, “I'll pin David to the wall.” But David managed to escape him twice.
12Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David, but he had given up on Saul. 13So Saul sent David away and made him a commander of a thousand soldiers, leading them out and back as part of the army.
14David was very successful in everything he did, because the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw how successful David was, he was even more afraid of him. 16But everyone in Israel and Judah loved David, because of his leadership in the army.
17One day Saul told David, “Here's my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage, but only if you prove to me you're a brave warrior and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul was thinking, “I don't need to be the one to kill him—let the Philistines do it!”
18“But who am I, and what status does my family have in Israel, for me to become the son-in-law of the king?” David replied.#18:18. David may have been concerned at the cost of providing a dowry, especially as this is a condition of marriage mentioned later in verse 25.
19However, when the time came to give Merab, Saul's daughter, to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah instead.
20Meanwhile Saul's daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and when Saul was told, he was happy about it. 21“I'll give her to David,” Saul thought. “She can be the bait so the Philistines can trap him.” So Saul said to David, “This is the second time you can become my son-in-law.”
22Saul gave these instructions to his servants, “Talk with David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is very happy with you, and all of us love you. Why not become the king's son-in-law?’”
23Saul's servants spoke privately to David, but he replied, “Do you think it's nothing to become the king's son-in-law? I'm a poor man, and I'm not important.”
24When Saul's servants explained to him what David had said, 25Saul told them, “Tell David, ‘The only dowry the king wants for the bride is one hundred foreskins of dead Philistines as a way of taking revenge on his enemies.’” Saul's plan was to have David be killed by the Philistines.
26When the servants reported what the king had said back to David, he was happy to become the king's son-in-law. While there was still time, 27David set off with his men and killed two hundred Philistines, and brought back their foreskins. They counted them all out before the king so that David could become the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
28Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal was in love with David, 29and so he became even more afraid of David, and was David's enemy for the rest of his life.
30Whenever the Philistine commanders attacked, David was more successful in battle than all of Saul's officers, so that his reputation grew rapidly.
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1 Samuel 18: FBV
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Shemu’ĕl Aleph (1 Samuel) 18
18
1And it came to be, when he had ended speaking to Sha’ul, that the being of Yehonathan was knit to the being of Dawiḏ, and Yehonathan loved him as his own being.
2And Sha’ul took him that day, and would not let him return to his father’s house any more.
3And Yehonathan and Dawiḏ made a covenant, because he loved him as his own being.
4And Yehonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to Dawiḏ, and his garments, even to his sword and his bow and his girdle.
5And Dawiḏ went out wherever Sha’ul sent him. He acted wisely, and Sha’ul set him over the men of battle, and it was right in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of Sha’ul’s servants.
6And it came to be, as they came in, as Dawiḏ was returning from striking the Philistine, that the women came out from all the cities of Yisra’ĕl, singing and dancing, to meet Sha’ul the sovereign with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
7And the women sang as they danced, and said, “Sha’ul struck his thousands, and Dawiḏ his ten thousands.”
8And Sha’ul was very wroth, and this matter was evil in his eyes, and he said, “To Dawiḏ they have given ten thousands, and to me they have given thousands. So what more for him, except the reign?”
9And from that day on Sha’ul eyed Dawiḏ.
10And it came to be on the next day that an evil spirit from Elohim came upon Sha’ul, and he prophesied inside the house, while Dawiḏ was playing the lyre with his hand, as usual. And the spear was in the hand of Sha’ul.
11Then Sha’ul hurled the spear, for he said, “Let me strike Dawiḏ, even to the wall.” But twice Dawiḏ withdrew from his presence.
12And Sha’ul was afraid of Dawiḏ, because יהוה was with him, but from Sha’ul He had turned away.
13Sha’ul therefore removed him from his presence, and made him his commander over a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people.
14And Dawiḏ was acting wisely in all his ways, and יהוה was with him.
15And Sha’ul saw that he was acting very wisely, and was afraid of him.
16But all Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah loved Dawiḏ, as he went out and came in before them.
17And Sha’ul said to Dawiḏ, “See my older daughter Mĕraḇ! I give her to you as a wife. Only be brave for me, and fight the battles of יהוה.” For Sha’ul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18And Dawiḏ said to Sha’ul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s clan in Yisra’ĕl, that I should be son-in-law to the sovereign?”
19And it came to be at the time when Mĕraḇ, Sha’ul’s daughter, should have been given to Dawiḏ, that she was given to Aḏri’ĕl the Meḥolathite as a wife.
20And Miḵal, Sha’ul’s daughter, loved Dawiḏ. And they told Sha’ul, and the matter was right in his eyes.
21And Sha’ul said, “Let me give her to him and let her be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines be against him.” So Sha’ul said to Dawiḏ a second time, “Become my son-in-law today.”
22And Sha’ul commanded his servants, “Speak to Dawiḏ gently, and say, ‘See, the sovereign has delighted in you, and all his servants have loved you. And now, be the sovereign’s son-in-law!’ ”
23And the servants of Sha’ul spoke those words in the hearing of Dawiḏ. And Dawiḏ said, “Does it seem to you a small matter to be a sovereign’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?”
24And the servants of Sha’ul told him, saying, “Dawiḏ has spoken according to these words.”
25And Sha’ul said, “Say to Dawiḏ, ‘The sovereign has no delight in any payment for the bride but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the sovereign’s enemies.’ ” But Sha’ul intended to have Dawiḏ fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26And his servants declared these words to Dawiḏ, and it pleased Dawiḏ well to become the sovereign’s son-in-law. And the days had not expired,
27and Dawiḏ arose and went, he and his men, and struck two hundred men of the Philistines. And Dawiḏ brought their foreskins, and they set them before the sovereign, to become the sovereign’s son-in-law. And Sha’ul gave him Miḵal his daughter as a wife.
28And Sha’ul saw and knew that יהוה was with Dawiḏ, and Miḵal daughter of Sha’ul did love him.
29So then Sha’ul was still more afraid of Dawiḏ. And Sha’ul came to be an enemy of Dawiḏ all the days.
30And the princes of the Philistines went out to fight. And it came to be, whenever they went out, that Dawiḏ acted more wisely than all the servants of Sha’ul, so that his name came to be very precious.
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