1 Samuel 18

18And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that ^athe soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, ^band Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ²And Saul took him that day, ^cand would let him go no more home to his father’s house. ³Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴And 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. ⁵And 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. ⁶And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the ^||Philistine, that ^dthe women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with ^dtabrets, with joy, and with ^†instruments of musick. ⁷And the women ^eanswered one another as they played, and said,

^fSaul hath slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands.

⁸And 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 ^gthe kingdom? ⁹And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

¹⁰And it came to pass on the morrow, that ^hthe evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and ⁱhe prophesied in the midst of the house: and David ^kplayed with his hand, as at other times: ^land there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. ¹¹And Saul ^mcast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. ¹²And Saul was ⁿafraid of David, because ^othe Lord was with him, and was ^pdeparted from Saul. ¹³Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and ^qhe went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴And David ^||behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and ^rthe Lord was with him. ¹⁵Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶But ^sall Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

¹⁷And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter ^tMerab, ^uher will I give thee to wife: only be thou ^†valiant for me, and fight ^wthe Lord’s battles. For Saul said, ^xLet not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. ¹⁸And David said unto Saul, ^yWho am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? ¹⁹But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto ^zAdriel the ^aMeholathite to wife. ²⁰And ^bMichal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing ^†pleased him. ²¹And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be ^ca snare to him, and that ^dthe hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt ^ethis day be my son in law in the one of the twain. ²²And 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. ²³And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^fSeemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? ²⁴And the servants of Saul told him, saying, ^†On this manner spake David. ²⁵And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any ^gdowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^hto be avenged of the king’s enemies. But ⁱSaul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶And when his servants told David these words, it ^jpleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and ^kthe days were not ^†expired. ²⁷Wherefore David arose and went, he and ^lhis men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and ^mDavid 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. ²⁸And Saul saw and knew that ⁿthe Lord was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. ²⁹And Saul was yet the more ^mafraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy ^ocontinually. ³⁰Then the princes of the Philistines ^pwent forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David ^qbehaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much ^†set by.