1 Depois dessa conversa de Davi com Saul, surgiu tão grande amizade entre Jônatas e Davi que Jônatas tornou-se o seu melhor amigo.

2 Daquele dia em diante, Saul manteve Davi consigo e não o deixou voltar à casa de seu pai.

3 E Jônatas fez um acordo de amizade com Davi, pois se tornara o melhor amigo de Davi.

4 Jônatas tirou o manto que estava vestindo e deu-o a Davi, junto com sua túnica, e até sua espada, seu arco e seu cinturão.

5 Tudo que Saul lhe ordenava fazer, Davi fazia com tanta habilidade que Saul lhe deu um posto elevado no exército. Isto agradou a todo o povo, bem como aos conselheiros de Saul.

6 Quando os soldados voltavam para casa, depois de Davi ter matado o filisteu, as mulheres saíram de todas as cidades de Israel ao encontro do rei Saul com cânticos e danças, com tamborins, com músicas alegres e instrumentos de três cordas.

7 Enquanto dançavam, as mulheres cantavam: "Saul matou milhares, e Davi, dezenas de milhares".

8 Saul ficou muito irritado, com esse refrão e, aborrecido disse: "Atribuíram a Davi dezenas de milhares, mas a mim apenas milhares. O que mais lhe falta senão o reino? "

9 Daí em diante Saul olhava com inveja para Davi.

10 No dia seguinte, um espírito maligno mandado por Deus apoderou-se de Saul e ele entrou em transe profético em sua casa, enquanto Davi tocava harpa, como costumava fazer. Saul estava com uma lança na mão

11 e a atirou, dizendo: "Encravarei Davi na parede". Mas Davi desviou-se duas vezes.

12 Saul tinha medo de Davi porque o Senhor o havia abandonado e agora estava com Davi.

13 Então afastou Davi de sua presença e deu-lhe o comando de uma tropa de mil soldados, e Davi a conduzia em suas campanhas.

14 Ele tinha êxito em tudo o que fazia, pois o Senhor estava com ele.

15 Quando Saul como ele tinha habilidade, teve muito medo dele.

16 Todo Israel e Judá, porém, gostava de Davi, pois ele os conduzia em suas batalhas.

17 Saul disse a Davi: "Aqui está a minha filha mais velha, Merabe. Eu a darei em casamento a você; apenas sirva-me com bravura e lute as batalhas do Senhor". Pois Saul pensou: "Não o matarei. Deixo isso para os filisteus! "

18 Mas Davi disse a Saul: "Quem sou eu, e o que é minha família ou o clã de meu pai em Israel para que eu me torne genro do rei? "

19 Por isso, quando chegou a época de Merabe, a filha de Saul, ser dada em casamento a Davi, ela foi dada a Adriel, de Meolá.

20 Mical, a outra filha de Saul, gostava de Davi. Quando disseram isto a Saul, ele ficou contente e pensou:

21 "Eu a darei a ele, para que lhe sirva de armadilha, fazendo-o cair nas mãos dos filisteus". Então Saul disse a Davi: "Hoje você tem uma segunda oportunidade de tornar-se meu genro".

22 Então Saul ordenou aos seus conselheiros que falassem em particular com Davi, dizendo: "O rei está satisfeito com você, e todos os seus conselheiros o estimam. Torne-se, agora, seu genro".

23 Quando falaram com Davi, ele disse: "Vocês acham que tornar-se genro do rei é fácil? Sou homem pobre e sem recursos".

24 Quando os conselheiros de Saul lhe contaram o que Davi tinha dito,

25 Saul ordenou que dissessem a Davi: "O rei não quer outro preço pela noiva além de cem prepúcios de filisteus, para vingar-se de seus inimigos". O plano de Saul era que Davi fosse morto pelos filisteus.

26 Quando os conselheiros falaram novamente com Davi, ele gostou da idéia de tornar-se genro do rei. Por isso, antes de terminar o prazo estipulado,

27 Davi e seus soldados saíram e mataram duzentos filisteus. Ele trouxe os prepúcios e apresentou-os ao rei para que se tornasse seu genro. Então Saul lhe deu em casamento sua filha Mical.

28 Quando Saul viu claramente que o Senhor estava com Davi e que sua filha Mical o amava,

29 temeu-o ainda mais e continuou seu inimigo pelo resto de sua vida.

30 Os comandantes filisteus continuaram saindo para a batalha, e, todas as vezes que o faziam, Davi tinha mais habilidade do que os outros oficiais de Saul, e ele tornou-se ainda mais famoso.

1 And 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. 2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. 5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

6 And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. 7 And the women sang one to another as they played, and said,

Saul hath slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands.

8 And Saul was very wroth, and this 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? 9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand; 11 and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12 And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul. 13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.

17 And Saul said to David, Behold, my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight Jehovah’s battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. 18 And 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? 19 But 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. 20 And Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 And 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 a second time.

22 And 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. 23 And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. 25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. Now 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. And the days were not expired; 27 and 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 number to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 28 And Saul saw and knew that Jehovah was with David; and Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him. 29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually.

30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.