^17:55⁶¹ Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.” ^17:56The king said, “Find out whose son this boy is!”

^17:57So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine in his hand. ^17:58Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem.”⁶²

Saul Comes to Fear David

^18:1When David¹ had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship.² Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life.³^18:2Saul retained David⁴ on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. ^18:3Jonathan made a covenant with David, for he loved him as much as he did his own life.⁵^18:4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with the rest of his gear, including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.

^18:5On every mission on which Saul sent him, David achieved success. So Saul appointed him over the men of war. This pleased not only all the army, but also Saul’s servants.⁶

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Footnotes

61 Most lack 17:55–18:5.
62 For location see ; ; ; .
1 Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Heb “the soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David.”
3 Heb “like his [own] soul.” On the nature of Jonathan’s love for David, see J. A. Thompson, “The Significance of the Verb Love in the David-Jonathan Narratives in 1 Samuel,” 24 (1974): 334–38.
4 Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 Heb “like his [own] soul.”
6 Heb “it was good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.”