1 Samuel 18
18
David and Jonathan Become Friends
1-2Saul decided to take David with him. He would not let David go back home to his father. After David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan developed a strong friendship with David.#18:1-2 Jonathan … with David Literally, “Jonathan’s soul was tied to David’s soul.” 3Jonathan loved David as much as himself, so they made a special agreement. 4Jonathan took off the coat he was wearing and gave it to David. In fact, Jonathan gave David his whole uniform—including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.
Saul Notices David’s Success
5David went to fight wherever Saul sent him. He was very successful, so Saul put him in charge of the soldiers. This pleased everyone, even Saul’s officers. 6David would go out to fight against the Philistines. On the way home, after the battles, women in every town in Israel would come out to meet him. They sang and danced for joy as they played their tambourines and lyres. They did this right in front of Saul! 7The women sang,
“Saul has killed his thousands,
but David has killed tens of thousands.”
8This song upset Saul and he became very angry. Saul thought, “The women give David credit for killing tens of thousands of the enemy, and they give me credit for only thousands. A little more of this and they will give him the kingdom itself!#18:8 A little more … itself This is not in one of the oldest and best copies of the ancient Greek version.” 9So from that time on, Saul watched David very closely.
Saul Is Afraid of David
10The next day, an evil spirit from God took control of Saul and he went wild#18:10 Saul … wild Or “Saul prophesied.” The Hebrew word means that the person lost control of what they said and did. Usually this meant God was using them to give a special message to other people. in his house. David played the harp to calm him as he usually did, 11but Saul had a spear in his hand. He thought, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” Saul threw the spear twice, but David jumped out of the way both times.
12The Lord had left Saul and was now with David, so Saul was afraid of David. 13Saul sent David away and made him a commander over 1000 soldiers. This put David out among the men even more as they went into battle and returned. 14The Lord was with David, so he was successful in everything. 15Saul saw how successful David was and became even more afraid of him. 16But all the people in Israel and Judah loved David because he was out among them and led them into battle.
Saul Wants His Daughter to Marry David
17One day Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter, Merab. I will let you marry her. Then you will be like a son to me and you will be a real soldier.#18:17 real soldier That is, a member of the warrior class. They were free from certain duties of ordinary citizens. Then you will go and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul was really thinking, “Now I won’t have to kill David. I will let the Philistines kill him for me.”
18But David said, “I am not an important man from an important family. I can’t marry the king’s daughter.”
19So when the time came for David to marry Saul’s daughter, Saul let her marry Adriel from Meholah.
20People told Saul that his daughter Michal loved David. This made Saul happy. 21He thought, “I will use Michal to trap David. I will let Michal marry David, and then I will let the Philistines kill him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You can marry my daughter today.”
22Saul commanded his officers to speak to David in private. He told them to say, “Look, the king likes you. His officers like you. You should marry his daughter.”
23Saul’s officers said these things to David, but David answered, “Do you think it is easy to become the king’s son-in-law? I am just a poor, ordinary man.”
24Saul’s officers told Saul what David said. 25Saul told them, “Say this to David, ‘David, the king doesn’t want you to pay money for his daughter.#18:25 money for his daughter In Bible times a man usually had to give money to a woman’s father before he could marry her. He wants to get even with his enemy, so the price for marrying his daughter is 100 Philistine foreskins.’” That was Saul’s secret plan. He thought the Philistines would kill David.
26Saul’s officers told this to David. David was happy that he had a chance to become the king’s son-in-law, so immediately 27he and his men went out to fight the Philistines. They killed 200#18:27 200 The ancient Greek version has “100.” Philistines. David took these Philistine foreskins and gave them to Saul. He did this because he wanted to become the king’s son-in-law.
Saul let David marry his daughter Michal. 28He saw that the Lord was with David and he also saw that his daughter, Michal, loved David. 29So Saul became even more afraid of David and was against him all that time.
30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to fight the Israelites, but David defeated them every time. He became famous as Saul’s best officer.
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1 Samuel 18: ERV
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
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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