18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Sha'ul, that the soul of Yonatan was knit with the soul of David, and Yonatan loved him as his own soul.
18:2 And Sha'ul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's bayit.
18:3 Then Yonatan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
18:4 And Yonatan 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.
18:5 And David went out whithersoever Sha'ul sent him, [and] behaved himself wisely: and Sha'ul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Sha'ul's avadim.
18:6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the P'lishti, that the women came out of all cities of Yisrael, singing and dancing, to meet king Sha'ul, with tambourines, with joy, and with shalishim (three stringed instruments).
18:7 And the women answered [one another] as they played, and said, Sha'ul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
18:8 And Sha'ul 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 the kingdom?
18:9 And Sha'ul eyed David from that day and forward.
18:10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from Elohim (אלהים) came upon Sha'ul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and [there was] a javelin in Sha'ul's hand.
18:11 And Sha'ul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall [with it]. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
18:12 And Sha'ul was afraid of David, because YHWH (יהוה) was with him, and was departed from Sha'ul.
18:13 Therefore Sha'ul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and YHWH (יהוה) [was] with him.
18:15 Wherefore when Sha'ul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
18:16 But all Yisrael and Yehudah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
18:17 And Sha'ul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight YHWH (יהוה)'S battles. For Sha'ul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Pelishtim be upon him.
18:18 And David said unto Sha'ul, Who [am] I? and what [is] my life, [or] my father's family in Yisrael, that I should be son in law to the king?
18:19 But it came to pass at the time when Merav Sha'ul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Mecholatite to wife.
18:20 And Michal Sha'ul's daughter loved David: and they told Sha'ul, and the thing pleased him.
18:21 And Sha'ul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Pelishtim may be against him. Wherefore Sha'ul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in [the one of] the twain.
18:22 And Sha'ul commanded his avadim, [saying], Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his avadim love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law.
18:23 And Sha'ul's avadim spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you [a] light [thing] to be a king's son in law, seeing that I [am] a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
18:24 And the avadim of Sha'ul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.
18:25 And Sha'ul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Pelishtim , to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Sha'ul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Pelishtim .
18:26 And when his avadim told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.
18:27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Pelishtim two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Sha'ul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
18:28 And Sha'ul saw and knew that YHWH (יהוה) [was] with David, and [that] Michal Sha'ul's daughter loved him.
18:29 And Sha'ul was yet the more afraid of David; and Sha'ul became David's enemy continually.
18:30 Then the princes of the Pelishtim went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, [that] David behaved himself more wisely than all the avadim of Sha'ul; so that his name was much set by.