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New Living Translation |   | |
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| | 1Sa 18:1 | After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king's son. There was an immediate bond of love between them, and they became the best of friends.
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| | 1Sa 18:2 | From that day on Saul kept David with him at the palace and wouldn't let him return home.
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| | 1Sa 18:3 | And Jonathan made a special vow to be David's friend,
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| | 1Sa 18:4 | and he sealed the pact by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.
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| | 1Sa 18:5 | Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander in his army, an appointment that was applauded by the fighting men and officers alike.
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| | 1Sa 18:6 | But something happened when the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women came out from all the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer for King Saul, and they sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals.
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| | 1Sa 18:7 | This was their song: "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!"
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| | 1Sa 18:8 | This made Saul very angry. "What's this?" he said. "They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they'll be making him their king!"
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| | 1Sa 18:9 | So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
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| | 1Sa 18:10 | The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to play the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who had a spear in his hand,
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| | 1Sa 18:11 | suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped. This happened another time, too,
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| | 1Sa 18:12 | for Saul was afraid of him, and he was jealous because the LORD had left him and was now with David.
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| | 1Sa 18:13 | Finally, Saul banned him from his presence and appointed him commander over only a thousand men, but David faithfully led his troops into battle.
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| | 1Sa 18:14 | David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him.
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| | 1Sa 18:15 | When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him.
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| | 1Sa 18:16 | But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.
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| | 1Sa 18:17 | One day Saul said to David, "I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the LORD's battles." For Saul thought to himself, "I'll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself."
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| | 1Sa 18:18 | "Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?" David exclaimed. "My father's family is nothing!"
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| | 1Sa 18:19 | So when the time came for the wedding, Saul gave Merab in marriage to Adriel, a man from Meholah.
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| | 1Sa 18:20 | In the meantime, Saul's daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it.
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| | 1Sa 18:21 | "Here's another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!" Saul said to himself. But to David he said, "I have a way for you to become my son-in-law after all!"
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| | 1Sa 18:22 | Then Saul told his men to say confidentially to David, "The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don't you accept the king's offer and become his son-in-law?"
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| | 1Sa 18:23 | When Saul's men said these things to David, he replied, "How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?"
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| | 1Sa 18:24 | When Saul's men reported this back to the king,
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| | 1Sa 18:25 | he told them, "Tell David that all I want for the bride price is one hundred Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want." But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.
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| | 1Sa 18:26 | David was delighted to accept the offer. So before the time limit expired,
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| | 1Sa 18:27 | he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines and presented all their foreskins to the king. So Saul gave Michal to David to be his wife.
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| | 1Sa 18:28 | When the king realized how much the LORD was with David and how much Michal loved him,
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| | 1Sa 18:29 | he became even more afraid of him, and he remained David's enemy for the rest of his life.
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| | 1Sa 18:30 | Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers. So David's name became very famous throughout the land.
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