1 David and Saul finished talking, and soon David and Jonathan became best friends. Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself. 2 From that time on, Saul kept David in his service and would not let David go back to his own family.
3 Jonathan liked David so much that they promised to always be loyal friends. 4 Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David. He also gave him his military clothes, his sword, his bow and arrows, and his belt.
5 David was a success in everything that Saul sent him to do, and Saul made him a high officer in his army. That pleased everyone, including Saul's other officers.
Saul Becomes David's Enemy
6 David had killed Goliath, the battle was over, and the Israelite army set out for home. As the army went along, women came out of each Israelite town to welcome King Saul. They were celebrating by singing songs and dancing to the music of tambourines and harps. 7 They sang:
Saul has killed
a thousand enemies;
David has killed
ten thousand!
8 This song made Saul very angry, and he thought, “They are saying that David has killed ten times more enemies than I ever did. Next they will want to make him king.” 9 Saul never again trusted David.
10 The next day the Lord let an evil spirit take control of Saul, and he began acting like a crazy man inside his house. David came to play the harp for Saul as usual, but this time Saul had a spear in his hand. 11 Saul thought, “I'll pin David to the wall.” He threw the spear at David twice, but David dodged and got away both times.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was helping David and was no longer helping him. 13 Saul put David in charge of 1,000 soldiers and sent him out to fight. 14 The Lord helped David, and he and his soldiers always won their battles. 15 This made Saul even more afraid of David. 16 But everyone else in Judah and Israel was loyal to David, because he led the army in battle.
17 One day, Saul told David, “If you'll be brave and fight the Lord's battles for me, I'll let you marry my oldest daughter Merab.” But Saul was really thinking, “I don't want to kill David myself, so I'll let the Philistines do it for me.”
18 David answered, “How could I possibly marry your daughter? I'm not very important, and neither is my family.”
19 But when the time came for David to marry Saul's daughter Merab, Saul told her to marry Adriel from the town of Meholah.
20 Saul had another daughter. Her name was Michal, and Saul found out that she was in love with David. This made Saul happy, 21 and he thought, “I'll tell David he can marry Michal, but I'll set it up so that the Philistines will kill him.” He told David, “I'm going to give you a second chance to marry one of my daughters.”
22-23 Saul ordered his officials to speak to David in private, so they went to David and said, “Look, the king likes you, and all of his officials are loyal to you. Why not ask the king if you can marry his daughter Michal?”
“I'm not rich or famous enough to marry princess Michal!” David answered.
24 The officials went back to Saul and told him exactly what David had said. 25 Saul was hoping that the Philistines would kill David, and he told his officials to tell David, “The king doesn't want any silver or gold. He only wants to get even with his enemies. All you have to do is to bring back proof that you have killed 100 Philistines!” 26 The officials told David, and David wanted to marry the princess.
King Saul had set a time limit, and before it ran out, 27 David and his men left and killed 200 Philistines. David brought back the proof that Saul had demanded and showed it to him, so he could marry Michal. Saul agreed to let David marry Michal. 28 King Saul knew that she loved David, and he also realized that the Lord was helping David. 29 But knowing those things made Saul even more afraid of David, and he was David's enemy for the rest of his life.
30 The Philistine rulers kept coming to fight Israel, but whenever David fought them, he won. He was famous because he won more battles against the Philistines than any of Saul's other officers.
Jonatāna derība ar Dāvidu
1 Kad Dāvids beidza runāt ar Saulu, Jonatāna dvēsele saaudās ar Dāvida dvēseli. Jonatāns viņu iemīlēja kā savu dzīvību. 2 Todien Sauls ņēma viņu līdzi un neļāva atgriezties tēva mājās. 3 Un Jonatāns noslēdza derību ar Dāvidu, jo mīlēja viņu kā savu dzīvību. 4 Jonatāns novilka apmetni un atdeva Dāvidam, tāpat savu ietērpu – pat savu zobenu, loku un jostu. 5 Dāvids gāja, kur vien Sauls viņu sūtīja, un viss viņam veicās. Sauls viņu iecēla pār karavīriem, un viņš patika visiem ļaudīm, arī Saula kalpiem.
6 Kad Dāvids bija nokāvis filistieti un tie atgriezās mājās, sievas no visām Israēla pilsētām dziedādamas un dejodamas iznāca pretī ķēniņam Saulam ar lielu prieku – ar tamburīniem un mūzikas instrumentiem. 7 Spēlēdamas sievas dziedāja:
“Sauls kāva tūkstošus,
Dāvids – desmitiem tūkstošu!”
8 Sauls briesmīgi aizsvilās – šis teiciens viņam nemaz nebija pa prātam, un viņš nodomāja: “Dāvidam šie piedēvē desmitiem tūkstošu, bet man tikai tūkstošus! Tad nu šim vēl ķēniņvalsti!” 9 Kopš šīs dienas Sauls sāka uzmanīt Dāvidu.
Sauls mēģina Dāvidu nogalināt
10 Nākamajā dienā pār Saulu no Dieva spēji nāca ļaunais gars, viņš ārprātā trakoja savā namā, bet Dāvids, kā arvien, viņam spēlēja. Saulam rokā bija šķēps. 11 Sauls meta šķēpu, domādams: “Pienaglošu Dāvidu pie sienas!” – bet Dāvids divas reizes izvairījās. 12 Sauls baidījās no Dāvida, jo ar viņu bija Kungs, bet no Saula viņš bija novērsies. 13 Tāpēc Sauls sūtīja viņu prom un iecēla par virsnieku pār tūkstoti, un viņš vadīja ļaudis karā un no kara.
14 Lai ko Dāvids darīja, viss viņam veicās, un Kungs bija ar viņu. 15 Un Sauls, redzēdams, cik ļoti viņam veicas, baidījās no viņa. 16 Bet viss Israēls un Jūda mīlēja Dāvidu, jo viņš tos vadīja karā un no kara.
Dāvids apprec Saula meitu
17 Sauls teica Dāvidam: “Redzi, mana vecākā meita Mēraba, es viņu došu tev par sievu, vien esi stiprs vīrs un izcīni Kunga karus!” Bet Sauls domāja: “Ne mana roka būs pret viņu, pret viņu būs filistieši!” 18 Taču Dāvids teica Saulam: “Kas gan esmu es, kas gan ir mana ģimene un mana tēva dzimta Israēlā, ka es kļūtu par ķēniņa znotu!?” 19 Tā, kad pienāca laiks dot Saula meitu Mērabu Dāvidam, viņa tika atdota par sievu meholietim Adriēlam. 20 Bet Saula meita Mīhala iemīlēja Dāvidu, un, kad par to stāstīja Saulam, viņam tas bija pa prātam. 21 Sauls domāja: “Es došu to viņam. Tā viņam kļūs par slazdu, un filistieši būs pret viņu.” Un Sauls teica Dāvidam: “Ar šo otru tu tagad kļūsi mans znots.” 22 Un Sauls pavēlēja saviem kalpiem: “Runājiet slepus ar Dāvidu un sakiet: redzi, tu patīc ķēniņam, un visi viņa kalpi tevi mīl, tad nu kļūsti par ķēniņa znotu!” 23 Saula kalpi visus šos vārdus atstāstīja Dāvidam, bet Dāvids teica: “Vai tas jums šķiet nieks – kļūt par ķēniņa znotu? Es taču esmu nabags un necienīgs!” 24 Un Saula kalpi pavēstīja viņam, ko Dāvids sacījis. 25 Tad Sauls teica: “Tā sakiet Dāvidam: ķēniņš neko nevēlas līgavas izpirkumam kā vien simts filistiešu priekšādas, lai būtu atriebts ķēniņa ienaidniekiem,” – jo Sauls cerēja, ka Dāvids kritīs no filistiešu rokas. 26 Viņa kalpi atstāstīja šos vārdus Dāvidam, un Dāvidam likās tīkami kļūt par ķēniņa znotu. Atvēlētās dienas vēl nebija pagājušas, 27 kad Dāvids cēlās kopā ar saviem vīriem, devās un nokāva divsimt filistiešus un viņu priekšādas pilnā skaitā atnesa ķēniņam, lai kļūtu par ķēniņa znotu. Un Sauls viņam deva savu meitu Mīhalu par sievu.
28 Sauls redzēja un saprata, ka Kungs ir ar Dāvidu un ka Saula meita Mīhala viņu mīl. 29 Sauls vēl vairāk baidījās no Dāvida. Sauls ienīda Dāvidu uz visiem laikiem.
30 Filistiešu virsnieki mēdza nākt karot, un, kad vien tie nāca virsū, Dāvidam veicās vairāk nekā citiem Saula kalpiem, un viņa vārds tika augsti godāts.
