| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. | 1After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. |
| 2And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. | 2From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. |
| 3Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. | 3And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. |
| 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. | 4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. |
| 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. | 5Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well. |
| 6And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. | 6When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. |
| 7And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. | 7As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of 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 the kingdom? | 8Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" |
| 9And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. | 9And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. |
| 10And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, 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 Saul's hand. | 10The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand |
| 11And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. | 11and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. |
| 12And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. | 12Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul. |
| 13Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. | 13So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. |
| 14And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. | 14In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. |
| 15Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. | 15When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. |
| 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. | 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns. |
| 17And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. | 17Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!" |
| 18And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? | 18But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" |
| 19But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. | 19So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah. |
| 20And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. | 20Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. |
| 21And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain. | 21"I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law." |
| 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. | 22Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.'" |
| 23And Saul's servants 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? | 23They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known." |
| 24And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. | 24When Saul's servants told him what David had said, |
| 25And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. | 25Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.'" Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. |
| 26And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired. | 26When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, |
| 27Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines 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 Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. | 27David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage. |
| 28And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him. | 28When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, |
| 29And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually. | 29Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days. |
| 30Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by. | 30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known. |
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