⁵⁵Now when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” ⁵⁶Then the king said, “You inquire whose son this young man is.” ⁵⁷So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. The head of the Philistine was in his hand. ⁵⁸Then Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

The Friendship of David and Jonathan

18When^a he finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan became attached to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ²Saul took him on that very day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. ³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴Jonathan stripped off the robe that he was wearing^b and gave it to David, along with his fighting attire,^c and even his sword, his bow, and his belt.

David’s Successes Arouse Saul’s Suspicions

⁵David went out whenever^d Saul sent him, and he succeeded. So Saul appointed him over the men of the war, and it pleased^e all the people and even pleased^f the servants of Saul.

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Footnotes

aLiterally “And it happened as”
bLiterally “which was on him”
cHebrew “gown,” in this context “fighting tunic,” perhaps “armor”
dLiterally “in all that”
eLiterally “was good in the eyes of”
fLiterally “was good in the eyes of”