1 Samuel, 18

1. 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.

1. When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan felt a deep affection for David and began to love him as himself.

2. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

2. Saul kept David with him from that day and did not allow him to return to his father's house.

3. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

3. Then Jonathan made an agreement with David because he loved him as himself.

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.

4. Jonathan, taking off the cloak he was wearing, gave it to David; he also gave him his own armor, sword, bow and belt.

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.

5. Wherever Saul sent David, he went and succeeded. For this reason, Saul put David in charge of the soldiers - a move which pleased Saul's men and his officers as well.

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.

6. When they arrived after David had slain the Philistine, the women came out from the cities of Israel to meet King Saul singing and dancing with timbrels and musical insruments.

7. And the women answered [one another] as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

7. They were merrily singing this song: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David, his tens of 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?

8. Saul was very displeased with this song and said, "They have given tens of thousands to David but to me only thousands! By now he has everything but the kingdom!"

9. And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

9. From then on, Saul became very distrustful of David.

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.

10. The following day, an evil spirit from God seized Saul, causing him to rave in his house. David then played on the lyre as he used to do, while Saul had his spear in 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.

11. Then Saul pointed it at David thinking, "I will nail David to the wall." But David escaped on two occasions.

12. And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.

12. Saul saw that Yahweh was with David and had left him. And he was afraid.

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.

13. So he removed David from his presence by making him chief of a thousand men. David went ahead of his troops

14. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD [was] with him.

14. and was successful each time because Yahweh was with him.

15. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

15. The more successful David was, the more afraid Saul became.

16. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

16. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in their expeditions.

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.

17. Saul said to David, "You know my eldest daughter, Merab. I will give her to you as your wife; be brave and fight Yahweh's battles." For Saul thought, "Let the Philistines strike him instead of myself."

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?

18. David answered Saul, "Who am I? And what is my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

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.

19. Yet when it was time for Merab to be married to David, she was given instead to Adriel the Meholathite.

20. And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

20. Now, Saul's daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When this came to Saul's knowledge, he was very pleased

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.

21. for he thought, "I shall promise her to him and it will be a snare to him. The Philistines will kill him." So, Saul said to David a second time, "You shall now be my son-in-law."

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.

22. Then he commanded his servants to talk to David privately and say, "The king and all his servants like you. You should become 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?

23. Saul's servants repeated these words to David who replied, "Do you think it is easy to become the king's son-in-law, poor and unknown as I am?"

24. And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.

24. When Saul's servants repeated to the king what David had said,

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.

25. Saul ordered them to tell David, "The king wants no marriage gift other than a hundred Philistine foreskins to take revenge on his enemies." For Saul wanted David to fall into the hands 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.

26. Saul's servants told this to David and it seemed to him that he could easily become the king's son-in-law.

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.

27. David and his men set out and killed two hundred Philistines. And they brought the king the foreskins so that David could become the king's son-in-law. So Saul had to give his daughter Michal to David to become his wife.

28. And Saul saw and knew that the LORD [was] with David, and [that] Michal Saul's daughter loved him.

28. Saul feared David for he knew that Yahweh was with him. But Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him.

29. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.

29. Saul feared David more and more and was his enemy until the end.

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.

30. Whenever the Philistine chiefs engaged David in battle, he succeeded more than any of Saul's officers, in earning great fame for himself.