1 Samuel 18:1–16

DAVID’S SUCCESS

18When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan was bound to David in close friendship,^D and loved him as much as he loved himself.^{v 2}Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father’s house.

³Jonathan made a covenant with David^w because he loved him as much as himself. ⁴Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David,^x along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

⁵David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.

⁶As 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,^a singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. ⁷As they danced, the women sang:

Saul has killed his thousands,

but David his tens of thousands.^b

⁸Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?”^{c 9}So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

SAUL ATTEMPTS TO KILL DAVID

¹⁰The next day an evil spirit sent from God came powerfully on Saul,^d and he began to rave^E inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual,^e but Saul was holding a spear,^{f 11}and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.”^g But David got away from him twice.

¹²Saul was afraid of David,^h because the Lord was with Davidⁱ but had left Saul.^{j 13}Therefore, Saul sent David away from him and made him commander over a thousand men. David led the troops^{k 14}and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him.^{l 15}When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David^m because he was leading their troops.