1 Samuel 18
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 18
David and Jonathan. 1 When David finished speaking with Saul, David’s soul was bonded with Jonathan’s soul. Jonathan loved him more than he loved himself. 2 From that day on, Saul would not permit him to return to his father’s house.
3 Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him more than he loved himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing, and he gave it to David, even giving him his sword, his bow, and his belt. 5 Whatever Saul sent David to do, he did it so wisely that he placed him in charge of warriors. This pleased all of the people, and even Saul’s servants.
Saul’s Jealousy. 6 When David returned after having struck down the Philistine, the women came out from the cities of Israel to greet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, tambourines, and lutes. 7 [a]As the women danced, they sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David has killed his ten thousands.” 8 Saul was very angry at this for the saying displeased him. He said, “They give David tens of thousands, and me they only give thousands. What else is he lacking but the kingdom?” 9 From that time on, Saul kept an eye on David.
10 The next morning an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied right inside of the house. David played on the harp, as he did every day. In the meantime, Saul had a javelin in his hand.[b] 11 Saul cast the javelin, saying to himself, “I will pin David to the wall,” but David eluded him twice. 12 Saul feared David, for the Lord was with him, but he had departed from Saul.
13 Saul sent him away, giving him command over a thousand men. He would go out and come back publicly. 14 David prospered in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he was very successful, he grew to dread him. 16 But Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came back publicly.
17 David’s Marriage. Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter, Merab, I will give her to you in marriage, only be a brave warrior and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul thought, “It will not be by my hand, but let it be by the hands of the Philistines.” 18 David said to Saul, “Who am I? What is my life or my father’s family worth in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”[c] 19 When Saul’s daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given instead to Adriel, the Meholathite, as his wife.
20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When Saul was informed about this, he was pleased. 21 Saul thought, “I will give her to him so that she might be a trap for him and so that the hands of the Philistines will be against him.” Saul said to David, “You have a second chance to be my son-in-law.” 22 Saul ordered his servants, “Speak in confidence to David saying, ‘The king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. You should become the king’s son-in-law.’ ” 23 Saul’s servants said these things to David, and David answered, “Do you think it is a light matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I am only a poor man and not highly esteemed.”
24 Saul’s servants told him, “David was speaking about this thing.” 25 Saul said, “This is what you are to say to David, ‘The king does not want a dowry, he only wants one hundred Philistine foreskins, so he might be avenged on the king’s enemies.’ ” Saul planned to have David fall at the hands of the Philistines.[d] 26 When his servants told David these things, David was well-pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the allotted time had expired, 27 David went out with his men and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal, his daughter, in marriage.
28 When Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, his daughter, loved him, 29 Saul dreaded him all the more, and Saul was David’s enemy for the rest of his life. 30 The Philistine leaders continued to go out to battle, and whenever they went out, David would encounter them with more success than all of Saul’s other servants, so that his name became well known.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:7 Thousands, . . . ten thousands: an example of a practice common in Hebrew poetry; it is inspired by the taste for parallelism.
- 1 Samuel 18:10 The note on 1 Sam 16:14 explains the evil spirit that overcomes Saul.
- 1 Samuel 18:18 In spite of David’s success and popularity with the people, he remained humble and did not take advantage of Saul.
- 1 Samuel 18:25 That is, the king wants a hundred of his enemies slain; their sex is attested by the proof offered. Verse 27 speaks of “two hundred,” but see 2 Sam 3:14. This barbarian practice was shared by other peoples.
撒母耳記上 18
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
掃羅嫉妒大衛
18 大衛與掃羅說完話後，又見了約拿單，二人一見如故，約拿單像愛自己一樣愛大衛。 2 從那天起，掃羅把大衛留在身邊，不讓他再回父親那裡。 3 約拿單像愛自己一樣愛大衛，他與大衛立了盟約， 4 並把身上的外袍、戰衣、刀、弓和腰帶都送給大衛。 5 無論掃羅派大衛辦什麼事，他都表現出色。掃羅派他做軍隊的將領，民眾和掃羅的臣僕都非常滿意。
6 大衛殺死了非利士人歌利亞，以色列人凱旋歸來，婦女們擊鼓彈琴、載歌載舞地從以色列各城出來迎接掃羅王。 7 她們跳舞歌唱：「掃羅殺死千千，大衛殺死萬萬。」 8 掃羅聽了非常憤怒，說：「她們將萬萬歸功給大衛，將千千歸功給我，只剩我的王位沒有給他了！」 9 掃羅從此對大衛起了嫉妒之心。
10 第二天，從上帝那裡來的邪靈突然降在掃羅身上，他就在屋子裡叫鬧不停，大衛照常為他彈琴。掃羅當時手上拿著矛， 11 他突然把矛投向大衛，心想：「我要把他刺透，釘在牆上。」他投了兩次，大衛都躲過了。
12 耶和華離開了掃羅與大衛同在，因而掃羅懼怕大衛。 13 他把大衛調離自己身邊，立為千夫長，讓他領兵作戰。 14 耶和華與大衛同在，因此他事事成功。 15 掃羅看見大衛做事精明，就懼怕他。 16 以色列人和猶大人都愛戴他，因為他帶領他們作戰。
17 掃羅對大衛說：「我要把大女兒米拉嫁給你，但你要英勇作戰，效忠於我，為耶和華爭戰。」掃羅心裡想：「我不要親自動手，我要藉非利士人的手殺他。」 18 大衛說：「我算什麼？我的家族在以色列那麼卑微，我怎麼配做王的女婿呢？」 19 到了婚禮的日子，掃羅卻把米拉嫁給了米何拉人亞得列。 20 掃羅的次女米甲愛上了大衛，掃羅知道了非常高興。 21 他心裡想：「我把這個女兒給大衛，讓他中圈套，好藉非利士人的手殺掉他。」於是，他對大衛說：「你現在還有一次機會做我的女婿。」 22 他又吩咐臣僕，說：「你們私底下告訴大衛，說王很欣賞他，群臣都愛戴他，勸他做王的女婿。」 23 掃羅的臣僕把這話告訴了大衛，大衛卻說：「做王的女婿豈是一件小事呢？我不過是個貧窮卑微的人。」 24 臣僕把這番話回報掃羅， 25 掃羅說：「你們去告訴大衛，就說王只需要一百個非利士人的包皮作聘禮，好向他的敵人報仇。」掃羅想讓大衛死在非利士人的手上。 26 臣僕把這番話告訴了大衛，大衛欣然答應做王的女婿。期限到來之前， 27 大衛和部下出去殺了二百個非利士人，把他們的包皮獻給掃羅，好做王的女婿。掃羅便把女兒米甲嫁給了大衛。 28 掃羅知道耶和華與大衛同在，自己的女兒米甲也愛他， 29 就更加懼怕大衛，終生與大衛為敵。
30 非利士人的將領常來進犯，大衛每次作戰總比掃羅的其他臣僕出色，因而倍受尊重。
1 Samuel 18
King James Version
18 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.
13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.
15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.
18 And David said unto 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 But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.
20 And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.
22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law.
23 And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.
25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an 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.
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.
27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
28 And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.
29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.
30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.
