1 Tendo Davi acabado de falar com Saul, a alma de Jônatas apegou-se à alma de Davi, e Jônatas começou a amá-lo como a si mesmo.

2 Naquele mesmo dia Saul o reteve em sua casa e não o deixou voltar para a casa de seu pai.

3 Jônatas fez um pacto com Davi, que ele amava como a si mesmo.

4 Tirou o seu manto, deu-o a Davi, bem como a sua armadura, sua espada, seu arco e seu cinto.

5 Saul incumbiu Davi de diversas missões, e todas foram muito frutuosas. Colocou-o à frente dos seus guerreiros, e ele ganhou a simpatia de todo o povo, inclusive dos servos do rei.

6 Voltando o exército, depois de Davi ter matado o filisteu, de todas as cidades de Israel saíam as mulheres ao encontro do rei Saul, cantando e dançando alegremente, ao som de tamborins e címbalos.

7 E enquanto dançavam, diziam umas às outras: Saul matou seus milhares, e Davi seus dez milhares.

8 Saul irritou-se em extremo, e desagradou-lhe tal coisa. Dão dez mil a Davi, disse ele, e a mim apenas mil! Só lhe falta a coroa!

9 E a partir daquele dia, Saul olhou Davi com maus olhos.

10 No dia seguinte, apoderou-se dele o mau espírito de Deus, e teve um acesso de delírio em sua casa. Como nos outros dias, Davi pôs-se a tocar a cítara.

11 Saul, que tinha uma lança na mão, arremessou-a contra Davi, dizendo: Vou cravá-lo na parede! Mas Davi se desviou do golpe por duas vezes.

12 Saul temia Davi, porque o Senhor estava com o jovem, e tinha-se retirado dele.

13 Afastou-o então de si, estabelecendo-o chefe de mil homens, à frente dos quais Davi empreendia as suas expedições.

14 Saía-se bem em todas as suas empresas, porque o Senhor estava com ele.

15 Saul, vendo-o tão engenhoso, teve medo dele.

16 Mas todos em Israel e Judá o amavam, porque ele entrava e saía diante deles.

17 Saul disse a Davi: Eis minha filha mais velha, Merab, que eu te darei por mulher, contanto que sejas valoroso e combatas nas guerras do Senhor. Saul pensava: Não é bom que o fira a minha mão, mas antes a dos filisteus.

18 Davi respondeu: Quem sou eu? E o que é a minha vida ou a família de meu pai em Israel, para que me torne genro do rei?

19 Ora, tendo chegado o tempo em que Merab, filha de Saul, devia ser dada a Davi, deram-na em casamento a Hadriel, o molatita.

20 Ora, Micol, filha de Saul, amava Davi. E contaram-no a Saul, que se alegrou com isso.

21 Vou dar-lhe Micol, pensava Saul, para que ela lhe seja uma armadilha, e ele caia na mão dos filisteus. Saul disse, pois, a Davi pela segunda vez: Agora vais tornar-te meu genro.

22 E ordenou aos seus servos que dissessem em segredo a Davi: O rei afeiçoou-se a ti e todos os seus servos te amam. Torna-te genro do rei.

23 Os servos de Saul repetiram essas palavras aos ouvidos de Davi, mas este respondeu: Parece-vos pouca coisa ser genro do rei? Eu sou pobre e de condição humilde.

24 Os servos de Saul referiram-lhe as palavras de Davi.

25 Dir-lhe-eis, respondeu Saul, que o rei só pede como dote cem prepúcios de filisteus, para vingar-se dos seus inimigos. Seu desígnio era entregar Davi nas mãos dos filisteus.

26 Transmitiram os servos a Davi essa mensagem, o qual se agradou da proposta de tornar-se genro do rei.

27 Antes que expirasse o termo fixado, Davi partiu com seus homens; matou duzentos filisteus e trouxe os seus prepúcios, entregando-os integralmente ao rei, para se tornar seu genro. Saul deu-lhe por mulher sua filha Micol.

28 Ele compreendeu que o Senhor estava com Davi. Sua filha Micol o amava.

29 O rei sentiu com isso redobrar o seu medo. Durante todo o resto de sua vida ele detestou Davi.

30 Cada vez que os chefes dos filisteus faziam incursões, Davi era mais bem-sucedido que todos os homens de Saul, o que deu ao seu nome grande fama.

1 Now after David's talk with Saul was ended, the soul of Jonathan was joined with the soul of David, and David became as dear to him as his very life.

2 And that day Saul took David and would not let him go back to his father's house.

3 Then Jonathan and David made an agreement together, because of Jonathan's love for David.

4 And Jonathan took off the robe he had on and gave it to David, with all his military dress, even to his sword and his bow and the band round his body.

5 And David went wherever Saul sent him, and did wisely: and Saul put him at the head of his men of war, and this was pleasing to all the people as well as to Saul's servants.

6 Now on their way, when David came back after the destruction of the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, with songs and dances, meeting David with melody and joy and instruments of music.

7 And the women, answering one another in their song, said, Saul has put to death his thousands and David his tens of thousands.

8 And Saul was very angry and this saying was unpleasing to him; and he said, They have given David credit for tens of thousands, and to me for only thousands: what more is there for him but the kingdom?

9 And from that day Saul was looking with envy on David.

10 Now on the day after, an evil spirit from God came on Saul with great force and he was acting like a prophet among the men of his house, while David was making music for him, as he did day by day: and Saul had his spear in his hand.

11 And Saul, balancing the spear in his hand, said, I will give David a blow, pinning him to the wall. And David got away from him twice.

12 And Saul went in fear of David, because the Lord was with David and had gone away from Saul.

13 So Saul sent him away, and made him a captain over a thousand; and he went about his business before the people.

14 And in all his undertakings David did wisely; and the Lord was with him.

15 And when Saul saw how wisely he did, he was in fear of him.

16 But David was loved by all Israel and Judah, for he went out and came in before them.

17 And Saul said to David, Here is my oldest daughter Merab, whom I will give you for your wife: only be strong for me, fighting in the Lord's wars. For Saul said, Let it not be through me that his fate comes to him, but through the Philistines.

18 And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my father's family in Israel, that I am to be son-in-law to the king?

19 But when the time came to give Merab, Saul's daughter, to David, she was given to Adriel of Meholath.

20 And Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David: and Saul had word of it and was pleased.

21 And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a cause of danger to him, and so that the hands of the Philistines may be against him. So Saul said to David, Today you are to become my son-in-law for the second time.

22 And Saul gave his servants orders saying, Have talk with David secretly and say to him, See how the king has delight in you, and how you are loved by all his servants: then be the king's son-in-law.

23 And Saul's servants said these things to David. And David said, Does it seem to you a small thing to be the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, of no great name?

24 And the servants of Saul gave him an account of what David had said.

25 And Saul said, Then say to David, The king has no desire for any bride-price, but only for the private parts of a hundred Philistines so that the king may get the better of his haters. But it was in Saul's mind that David might come to his end by the hands of the Philistines.

26 And when his servants said these words to David, he was well pleased to be the son-in-law of the king. And the days were still not past.

27 So David and his men got up and went, and put to death two hundred of the Philistines; and David took their private parts and gave the full number of them to the king, so that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife.

28 And it was clear to Saul that the Lord was with David; and he was loved by all Israel.

29 And Saul's fear of David became all the greater, and he went on hating him, day by day.

30 Then the rulers of the Philistines went out to war: and whenever they went out, David did more wisely than all the other servants of Saul, so that his name became greatly honoured.