1 Samuel 18
18
David’s Success
1When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan committed himself to 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 soldiers, 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 celebrated, 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. # Lit furious; this saying was evil in his eyes “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 took control of Saul, # 1Sm 16:14; 19:9 and he began to rave # 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 reassigned David and made him commander over 1,000 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, “My hand doesn’t need to be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” # 1Sm 18:21; 18:25
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. # Lit Saul, the thing was right in his eyes 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, # Lit words in David’s ears but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor man who is common.” # 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 100 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 # Lit David, it was right in David’s eyes to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived, # Lit And the days were not full 27David and his men went out and killed 200 # 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 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: HCSB
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1 Samuel 18
18
Saul Fears David
1#2Sa 1:26; Ge 44:30; Dt 13:6When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, so that Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2#1Sa 17:15And Saul took him that day and would not permit him to return home to his father’s house. 3#1Sa 20:8–17; 20:42Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. 4#Ge 41:42So Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, even his garments, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5#1Sa 18:14–15; 18:30David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he was successful. So Saul set him over the men of war, and it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of the servants of Saul.
6#Ex 15:20; Jdg 11:34When they came home, as David was returning from slaying the Philistine, the women came out from all cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7#1Sa 21:11; Ex 15:21; 1Sa 29:5The dancing women sang and said,
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
8#1Sa 15:28Saul became very angry, and this saying was displeasing to him. Therefore he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what remains for him to have but the kingdom?” 9So Saul was suspicious of David from that day and forward.
10#1Sa 19:9; 16:23It came to pass the following day, that an evil spirit from God came upon Saul, so that he raved in the midst of the house. And David was playing the lyre, as at other times. Now there was a spear in Saul’s hand. 11#1Sa 20:33; Isa 54:17And Saul threw the spear. For he said, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David avoided him two times.
12#1Sa 18:15; 18:29Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 13#2Sa 5:2Therefore Saul removed him from his presence and placed him as his captain over a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. 14#Ge 39:2–3; 39:23David was successful in all his ways and the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw that he was very successful, he was afraid of him. 16#1Sa 18:5Now all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
David Marries Michal
17#1Sa 17:25; 18:25Saul said to David, “Behold my elder daughter Merab, I will give her to you as your wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul said, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18#1Sa 18:23; 2Sa 7:18But David said to Saul, “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?” 19#Jdg 7:22; 2Sa 21:8So when it was time that Merab, daughter of Saul, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
20#1Sa 18:28Now Michal, daughter of Saul, loved David and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21#1Sa 18:17; Ex 10:7Saul said, “I will give her to him that she may be a snare to him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time, you may be my son-in-law today.”
22Saul commanded his servants, saying, “Speak to David in secret saying, ‘Listen, the king delights in you and all his servants love you. Now therefore become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”
23So the servants of Saul spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?”
24And the servants of Saul reported to him saying, “According to these words, David spoke.” 25#Ge 34:12; 1Sa 14:24Saul said, “Thus will you say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26When his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. Now the days had not expired; 27#2Sa 3:14therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins and they gave them in full to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife.
28When Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, his daughter, loved him, 29Saul was yet the more afraid of David, and Saul became the enemy of David continually.
30#1Sa 18:5; 2Sa 11:1Then the commanders of the Philistines went out to make war. And when they went out David was more successful than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly honored.
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