1Sa 18, 1Sa 27 | ESV | STEP | As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul , the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David , and Jonathan loved him as his own soul .

1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan ^aloved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day ^band would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because ^che loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out ^dand was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Saul’s Jealousy of David

6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, ^ethe women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. ^{▼▼Or triangles, or three-stringed instruments} 7 And the women ^gsang to one another as they celebrated,

^h“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but ⁱthe kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.

10 The next day ^ja harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^khe raved within his house while David was ^lplaying the lyre, as he did day by day. ^mSaul had his spear in his hand. 11 And Saul ⁿhurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

12 ^oSaul was afraid of David because ^pthe Lord was with him ^qbut had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. ^rAnd he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David ^shad success in all his undertakings, ^tfor the Lord was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that ^uhe had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. 16 ^vBut all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^wmy elder daughter Merab. ^xI will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^yand fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^zbut let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18 And David said to Saul, ^aa“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^abAdriel the ^acMeholathite for a wife.

20 Now ^adSaul’s daughter Michal ^aeloved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^afbe a snare for him ^agand that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, ^{▼▼Hebrew by two} ^ai“You shall now be my son-in-law.” 22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.’” 23 And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^aj“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” 24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” 25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no ^akbride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^althat he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” ^amNow Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. ^anBefore the time had expired, 27 David arose and went, ^aoalong with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. ^apAnd David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that ^aqthe Lord was with David, ^arand that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.

30 ^asThen the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out ^atDavid had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

1 Samuel 27

David Flees to the Philistines

1 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” 2 So David arose and went over, he and ^authe six hundred men who were with him, ^avto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with ^awhis two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. 4 And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.

5 Then David said to Achish, “If ^axI have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 So that day Achish gave him ^ayZiklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 ^azAnd the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

8 Now David ^baand his men went up and made raids against ^bbthe Geshurites, ^bcthe Girzites, and ^bdthe Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, ^beas far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. 9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. 10 When Achish asked, “Where have you ^bfmade a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^bgthe Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^bhthe Kenites.” 11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. 12 And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”