1 Samuel 18
Living Bible
18 1-3 After King Saul had finished his conversation with David, David met Jonathan, the king’s son, and there was an immediate bond of love between them. Jonathan swore to be his blood brother, 4 and sealed the pact by giving him his robe, sword, bow, and belt.
King Saul now kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home anymore. 5 He was Saul’s special assistant, and he always carried out his assignments successfully. So Saul made him commander of his troops, an appointment that was applauded by the army and general public alike. 6 But something had happened when the victorious Israeli army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women came out from all the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer for King Saul, and were singing and dancing for joy with tambourines and cymbals.
7 However, this was their song: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands!”
8 Of course Saul was very angry. “What’s this?” he said to himself. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!”
9 So from that time on King Saul kept a jealous watch on David. 10 The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to soothe him by playing the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who was fiddling with his spear, 11-12 suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped. This happened another time, too, for Saul was afraid of him and jealous because the Lord had left him and was now with David. 13 Finally Saul banned him from his presence and demoted him to the rank of captain. But the controversy put David more than ever in the public eye.
14 David continued to succeed in everything he undertook, for the Lord was with him. 15-16 When King Saul saw this, he became even more afraid of him; but all Israel and Judah loved him, for he was as one of them.
17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter Merab as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real soldier by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought to himself, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”
18 “Who am I that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!”
19 But when the time arrived for the wedding, Saul married her to Adriel, a man from Meholath, instead. 20 In the meantime Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it.
21 “Here’s another opportunity to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “You can be my son-in-law after all, for I will give you my youngest daughter.”
22 Then Saul instructed his men to say confidentially to David that the king really liked him a lot, and that they all loved him and thought he should accept the king’s proposition and become his son-in-law.
23 But David replied, “How can a poor man like me from an unknown family find enough dowry to marry the daughter of a king?”
24 When Saul’s men reported this back to him, 25 he told them, “Tell David that the only dowry I need is one hundred dead Philistines![a] Vengeance on my enemies is all I want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.
26 David was delighted to accept the offer. So, before the time limit expired, 27 he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines and presented their foreskins to King Saul. So Saul gave Michal to him.
28 When the king realized how much the Lord was with David and how immensely popular he was with all the people, 29 he became even more afraid of him and grew to hate him more with every passing day. 30 Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous throughout the land.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:25 one hundred dead Philistines, literally, “one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
David’s Success
18 When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan committed himself to David, and loved him as much as he loved himself.(A) 2 Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father’s house.
3 Jonathan made a covenant with David(B) because he loved him as much as himself. 4 Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David,(C) along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5 David 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.
6 As 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,(D) singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. 7 As they celebrated, the women sang:
Saul has killed his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands.(E)
8 Saul was furious and resented this song.[a] “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?”(F) 9 So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.
Saul Attempts to Kill David
10 The next day an evil spirit sent from God took control of Saul,(G) and he began to rave[b] inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual,(H) but Saul was holding a spear,(I) 11 and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.”(J) But David got away from him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David,(K) because the Lord was with David(L) but had left Saul.(M) 13 Therefore, Saul reassigned David and made him commander over 1,000 men. David led the troops(N) 14 and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him.(O) 15 When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David(P) because he was leading their troops. 17 Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife,(Q) if you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.”(R) But Saul was thinking, “My hand doesn’t need to be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”(S)
18 Then David responded, “Who am I,(T) and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” 19 When it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.(U)
David’s Marriage to Michal
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal(V) loved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him.[c] 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.”(W) So Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.”(X)
22 Saul 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.’”
23 Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David,[d] 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.”(Y)
24 The servants reported back to Saul, “These are the words David spoke.”
25 Then Saul replied, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price(Z) except 100 Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’”(AA) Actually, Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.(AB)
26 When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased[e] to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived,[f] 27 David and his men went out and killed 200[g] 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.(AC) 28 Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, 29 and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.
30 Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight,(AD) David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers.(AE) So his name became well known.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:8 Lit furious; this saying was evil in his eyes
- 1 Samuel 18:10 Or prophesy
- 1 Samuel 18:20 Lit Saul, the thing was right in his eyes
- 1 Samuel 18:23 Lit words in David’s ears
- 1 Samuel 18:26 Lit David, it was right in David’s eyes
- 1 Samuel 18:26 Lit And the days were not full
- 1 Samuel 18:27 LXX reads 100
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