1 Samuel 18:1-21 ▼

1 And it comes to pass, when he finishes to speak to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan has been bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loves him as his own soul.

2 And Saul takes him on that day, and has not permitted him to return to the house of his father.

3 And Jonathan makes—David also—a covenant, because he loves him as his own soul,

4 and Jonathan strips himself of the upper robe which [is] on him, and gives it to David, and his long robe, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

5 And David goes out wherever Saul sends him; he acted wisely, and Saul sets him over the men of war, and it is good in the eyes of all the people, and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.

6 And it comes to pass, in their coming in, in David’s returning from striking the Philistine, that the women come out from all the cities of Israel to sing—also the dancers—to meet Saul the king, with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments;

7 and the women answer—those playing, and say, “Saul has struck among his thousands, || And David among his myriads.”

8 And it is exceedingly displeasing to Saul, and this thing is evil in his eyes, and he says, “They have given myriads to David, and they have given the thousands to me, and what more [is there] for him but the kingdom?”

9 And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on.

10 And it comes to pass, on the next day, that the spirit of sadness [from] God prospers over Saul, and he prophesies in the midst of the house, and David is playing with his hand, as [he did] day by day, and the javelin [is] in the hand of Saul,

11 and Saul casts the javelin and says, “I strike through David, even through the wall”; and David turns around out of his presence twice.

12 And Saul is afraid of the presence of David, for YHWH has been with him, and He has turned aside from Saul;

13 and Saul turns him aside from him, and appoints him to himself [for] head of one thousand, and he goes out and comes in, before the people.

14 And David is acting wisely in all his ways, and YHWH [is] with him,

15 and Saul sees that he is acting very wisely, and is afraid of him,

16 and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them.

17 And Saul says to David, “Behold, my elder daughter Merab—I give her to you for a wife; only, be for a son of valor to me, and fight the battles of YHWH”; and Saul said, “Do not let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.”

18 And David says to Saul, “Who [am] I? And what [is] my life—the family of my father in Israel—that I am son-in-law of the king?”

19 And it comes to pass, at the time of the giving of Merab daughter of Saul to David, that she has been given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.

20 And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,

21 and Saul says, “I give her to him, and she is for a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines is on him”; and Saul says to David, “By the second—you become my son-in-law today.”