Sauls jalousi imod David
1Efter at David havde talt med Saul, mødte han kongens søn, Jonatan. Straks opstod der et varmt venskab mellem de to. 2Fra den dag blev David hos Saul hele tiden, og han fik ikke længere lov at vende tilbage til sit hjem i Betlehem. 3Jonatan og David blev så gode venner, at de sluttede en ubrydelig venskabspagt. 4Jonatan beseglede pagten ved at give David sin kappe og tunika, og endda sit sværd, sin bue og sit bælte.
5Enhver opgave, David fik betroet, løste han med succes, så Saul udnævnte ham senere til officer i hæren, en udnævnelse, som både Sauls tjenere og folket bifaldt.
6Nogen tid efter at David havde slået filisteren ihjel, vendte hæren hjem efter en sejr,18,6 Kronologien og teksten i dette afsnit er uklar. og en masse kvinder fra alle byerne i Israel gik ud for at hylde kong Saul med sang og dans til lyden fra tamburiner og triangler. 7„Saul har besejret tusinder,” sang de, „men David har besejret titusinder.”
8Det blev Saul rigtig vred over. „De giver jo David større ære end mig,” tænkte han. „Hvem ved, måske de vil gøre ham til konge i stedet for mig.” 9Fra da af så han skævt til David.
10Næste dag plagede den onde ånd Saul, og han opførte sig helt utilregneligt. Som sædvanlig tog David sin lyre og spillede for at berolige ham. Saul sad med sit spyd i hånden, 11og pludselig kastede han det mod David, idet han mumlede: „Nu spidder jeg ham til væggen.” Men David sprang til side og undgik med nød og næppe at blive dræbt. Det skete to gange. 12Saul blev nu bange for David, for det var helt klart, at Herren var med David og ikke med ham. 13-14Derefter frigjorde Saul ham fra tjenesten ved hoffet og gjorde ham til anfører for 1000 mand. David ledte dem i kamp, og alt, hvad han foretog sig, lykkedes for ham, for Herren var med ham.
15-16Saul kunne ikke undgå at lægge mærke til, hvordan David altid havde lykken med sig, og det gjorde ham endnu mere bange. Men hele Israel og Juda elskede David, fordi han var sådan en god leder.
17En dag sagde Saul til David: „Jeg har overvejet at give dig min ældste datter, Merab, til kone. Men først må du bevise din tapperhed i Herrens krige.” Saul tænkte nemlig ved sig selv: „Hvis jeg sender ham mod filistrene, og de dræber ham, slipper jeg selv for at gøre det.”
18„Jamen, jeg kommer jo fra en ubetydelig slægt,” indvendte David. „Hvordan skulle jeg kunne blive kongens svigersøn?”
19Men da tiden for brylluppet nærmede sig, gav Saul sin datter til en mand ved navn Adriel fra Mehola i stedet for. 20I mellemtiden var Sauls anden datter, Mikal, blevet forelsket i David. Det passede Saul udmærket.
21„Så er der endnu en anledning til at få ham dræbt af filistrene,” tænkte han. Men til David sagde han: „Nu har du alligevel en chance for at blive min svigersøn.”
22Derefter gav Saul sine tjenestefolk besked på i al fortrolighed at sige til David: „Kongen sætter stor pris på dig, og det gør vi andre også. Du bør tage imod tilbuddet om at blive hans svigersøn.”
23Men David svarede: „Jeg er en fattig mand, og jeg kommer fra en ukendt slægt. Jeg har ikke råd til at betale brudeprisen for en prinsesse.”
24Da Saul fik at vide, hvad David havde svaret, 25sagde han: „Sig til David, at det eneste, jeg forlanger som brudepris, er forhuden af 100 filistre. Det eneste, jeg ønsker, er hævn over mine fjender.” Saul håbede naturligvis, at David ville falde i kampen mod filistrene.
26Mændene fortalte så David, hvad Saul havde sagt, og han gik ind på betingelserne for at blive kongens svigersøn. 27Kort efter drog David og hans mænd af sted og slog 200 filistre ihjel. Deres forhuder overbragte han fuldtalligt til Saul, og han blev derefter gift med Mikal.
28Da Saul så, hvor meget Herren velsignede David, og hvor meget Mikal18,28 Septuaginta har „Israel” i stedet for „Mikal”. holdt af ham, 29blev han endnu mere bange, og resten af livet var han fjendtlig overfor ham. 30Hver gang filistrene gik til angreb, vandt David større sejre end nogen anden af Sauls mænd. Sådan blev David efterhånden en folkehelt.
1And 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. 2And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house. 3Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, 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 he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.18.5 behaved…: or, prospered
6And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.18.6 Philistine: or, Philistines18.6 instruments…: Heb. three stringed instruments 7And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 8And Saul was very wroth, and the 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?18.8 displeased him: Heb. was evil in his eyes 9And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
10¶ And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. 11And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
12¶ And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. 13Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.18.14 behaved…: or, prospered 15Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because 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 the LORD’s battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.18.17 valiant: Heb. a son of valour 18And 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? 19But 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. 20And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.18.20 pleased him: Heb. was right in his eyes 21And 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 in the one of the twain.
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. 23And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 24And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.18.24 On…: Heb. According to these words 25And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26And 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.18.26 expired: Heb. fulfilled 27Wherefore 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 tale 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 the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. 29And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually. 30Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.18.30 set by: Heb. precious
