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David’s Successes Arouse Saul’s Suspicions

David went out whenever[a] Saul sent him, and he succeeded. So Saul appointed him over the men of the war, and it pleased[b] all the people and even pleased[c] the servants of Saul. When they were coming back[d] 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. And the women sang as they danced, and they said,

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
    but David his ten thousands!”

Saul became very angry,[e] and this saying displeased him,[f] 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?”[g] So Saul was watching[h] David with suspicion from that day onward.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “in all that”
  2. 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “was good in the eyes of”
  3. 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “was good in the eyes of”
  4. 1 Samuel 18:6 Literally “And it happened at their coming”
  5. 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “And it was very hot for Saul”
  6. 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “this thing was bad in his eyes”
  7. 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “And still for him is only the kingdom”
  8. 1 Samuel 18:9 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “sin”; the translation follows the reading tradition (Qere) which has “eyeing” or “watching”

And David [a]went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and [b]behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the [c]Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with [d]instruments of music. And the women [e]sang one to another as they played, and said,

Saul hath slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.

And Saul was very wroth, and this 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? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:5 Or, went out; whithersoever Saul sent him, he etc.
  2. 1 Samuel 18:5 Or, prospered
  3. 1 Samuel 18:6 Or, Philistines
  4. 1 Samuel 18:6 Or, triangles Or, three-stringed instruments
  5. 1 Samuel 18:7 Or, answered one another