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
1 Samuel 18
Lexham English Bible
The Friendship of David and Jonathan
18 When[a] he finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan became attached to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him on that very day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped off the robe that he was wearing[b] and gave it to David, along with his fighting attire,[c] and even his sword, his bow, and his belt.
David’s Successes Arouse Saul’s Suspicions
5 David went out whenever[d] Saul sent him, and he succeeded. So Saul appointed him over the men of the war, and it pleased[e] all the people and even pleased[f] the servants of Saul. 6 When they were coming back[g] after David had returned from striking down the Philistine, the women went out from all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments. 7 And the women sang as they danced, and they said,
“Saul has struck down his thousands,
but David his ten thousands!”
8 Saul became very angry,[h] and this saying displeased him,[i] and he thought, “They have attributed to David ten thousands, but to me they have attributed thousands! What more can he have but the kingdom?”[j] 9 So Saul was watching[k] David with suspicion from that day onward.
10 On[l] the next day, the evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. Now David was playing the lyre with his hand on that day as usual,[m] and the spear was in Saul’s hand. 11 Then Saul hurled the spear and thought, “I will pin David to the wall.”[n] But David eluded him twice. 12 Now Saul was threatened by the presence of David[o] because Yahweh was with him, but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence,[p] and made him commander of a thousand, so he[q] marched in and out at the front of the army.[r] 14 And David was achieving success in all his ways and Yahweh was with him, 15 but when Saul saw that he was very successful, he was severely threatened by him.[s] 16 However, all of Israel and Judah were loving David, for he was going forth and marching ahead of them.
David Marries Saul’s Daughter Michal
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife. Only be a brave warrior[t] for me and fight the battles of Yahweh.” For Saul thought, “My hand will not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, the clan of my father in Israel, that I should be a son-in-law to the king?” 19 But[u] at the time Saul’s daughter Merab was to be given to David, she was given instead to Adriel the Meholathite as wife.
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, so they told Saul, and the matter pleased him.[v] 21 And Saul thought, “I will give her to him, so that she may be a snare for him and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time you can become my son-in-law today.” 22 Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in secret, saying, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. So then, become a son-in-law of the king.’” 23 And Saul’s servants spoke these words to David privately.[w] But David said, “Is it insignificant in your sight[x] to become the son-in-law of the king, as I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” 24 So the servants of Saul informed him, saying, “This is what David said.”[y] 25 Then Saul said, “This is what you must say to David: ‘The king desires no bride price[z] except for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to avenge himself on the enemies of the king.’” (Now Saul had planned to allow David to fall by the hand of the Philistines.) 26 So his servants told David these words, and the matter pleased David[aa] to become the son-in-law of the king as the specified time had not expired.[ab]
27 And David got up, and he and his men went and struck down two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they presented the full number[ac] to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as his wife. 28 When Saul realized[ad] that Yahweh was with David and his own daughter Michal[ae] loved him, 29 Saul was threatened by David still more,[af] so Saul became a perpetual enemy of David.[ag] 30 Then the commanders of the Philistines went out for battle, and as often as they went out, David succeeded more than all the servants of Saul, and his name became very esteemed.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:1 Literally “And it happened as”
- 1 Samuel 18:4 Literally “which was on him”
- 1 Samuel 18:4 Hebrew “gown,” in this context “fighting tunic,” perhaps “armor”
- 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “in all that”
- 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “was good in the eyes of”
- 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “was good in the eyes of”
- 1 Samuel 18:6 Literally “And it happened at their coming”
- 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “And it was very hot for Saul”
- 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “this thing was bad in his eyes”
- 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “And still for him is only the kingdom”
- 1 Samuel 18:9 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “sin”; the translation follows the reading tradition (Qere) which has “eyeing” or “watching”
- 1 Samuel 18:10 Literally “And it happened from”
- 1 Samuel 18:10 Literally “as day on day”
- 1 Samuel 18:11 Literally “I will strike David and to the wall”
- 1 Samuel 18:12 Literally “And Saul was afraid from the presence of David”
- 1 Samuel 18:13 Literally “from with him”
- 1 Samuel 18:13 That is, David
- 1 Samuel 18:13 Literally “for he was going out and was coming in before the army”
- 1 Samuel 18:15 Literally “he was terrified from his face”
- 1 Samuel 18:17 Literally “a son of valor”
- 1 Samuel 18:19 Literally “And it happened”
- 1 Samuel 18:20 Literally “was right in his eyes”
- 1 Samuel 18:23 Literally “in the ears of David”
- 1 Samuel 18:23 Literally “in your eyes”
- 1 Samuel 18:24 Literally “According to these words David spoke”
- 1 Samuel 18:25 Literally “There is not a desire for the king for a bride price”
- 1 Samuel 18:26 Literally “was right in the eyes of David”
- 1 Samuel 18:26 Literally “the days were not full”
- 1 Samuel 18:27 Literally “they filled them up”
- 1 Samuel 18:28 Literally “saw and knew”
- 1 Samuel 18:28 Literally “Michal the daughter of Saul”
- 1 Samuel 18:29 Literally “added to be afraid from the presence of David”
- 1 Samuel 18:29 Literally “was an enemy with David all the days”
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