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.
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.
