1 Samuel 18:1-13 ▼

1 And when he had made an ende of speaking vnto Saul, the soule of Ionathan was knit with the soule of Dauid, & Ionathan loued him, as his owne soule.

2 And Saul tooke him that day, and woulde not let him returne to his fathers house.

3 Then Ionathan and Dauid made a couenant: for he loued him as his owne soule.

4 And Ionathan put off the robe that was vpon him, & gaue it Dauid, & his garments, euen to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

5 And Dauid went out whithersoeuer Saul sent him, & behaued himselfe wisely: so that Saul set him ouer the men of warre, & he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Sauls seruants.

6 When they came againe, & Dauid returned from the slaughter of the Philistim, the women came out of all cities of Israel singing and dauncing to meete king Saul, with timbrels, with instruments of ioy, and with rebeckes.

7 And the women sang by course in their play, and sayd, Saul hath slayne his thousand, & Dauid his ten thousand.

8 Therefore Saul was exceeding wroth, and the saying displeased him, & he sayde, They haue ascribed vnto Dauid ten thousand, & to me they haue ascribed but a thousand, & what can he haue more saue the kingdome?

9 Wherefore Saul had an eye on Dauid from that day forward.

10 And on the morowe, the euill spirite of God came vpon Saul, and he prophecied in the middes of the house: and Dauid played with his hand like as at other times, and there was a speare in Sauls hand.

11 And Saul tooke the speare, and sayd, I will smite Dauid through to the wall. But Dauid auoyded twise out of his presence.

12 And Saul was afrayd of Dauid, because the Lord was with him, & was departed from Saul.

13 Therefore Saul put him from him, & made him a captaine ouer a thousand, and he went out and in before the people.