1 Samuel 17:55–18:5

⁵⁵When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to ^rAbner, the commander of the army, “Abner, ^swhose son is this youth?”

And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”

⁵⁶So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul ^twith the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”

So David answered, ^u“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Saul Resents David

18Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, ^athe ¹soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, ^band Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ²Saul took him that day, ^cand would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. ³Then Jonathan and David made a ^dcovenant, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

⁵So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and ²behaved 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.