Saul’s Growing Fear of David
1After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.
5Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.
6When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7As they danced, they sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.”
8Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” 9And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
10The next day an evil18:10 Or a harmful spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. 13So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.
17Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul said to himself, “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”
18But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” 19So18:19 Or However, when the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
20Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21“I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”
22Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’ ”
23They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.”
24When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’ ” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.
26When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
28When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.
Sauli Amwonea Daudi Wivu
118:1 1Sam 19:1; 20:16; 31:2; 2Sam 4:4; 1:26; Mwa 44:30; Kol 2:2; Kum 13:6; 1Sam 20:17; Mit 18:24; Yn 15:17-19; 1Yn 3:12-14Baada ya Daudi kumaliza kuongea na Sauli, roho ya Yonathani ikaambatana na roho ya Daudi, naye akampenda kama nafsi yake mwenyewe. 218:2 1Sam 8:11; 14:52; 17:15Kuanzia siku ile Sauli akamchukua Daudi naye hakumruhusu kurudi nyumbani kwa baba yake. 318:3 1Sam 20:8, 16, 17, 42; 22:8; 23:18; 24:21; 2Sam 21:7Yonathani akafanya agano na Daudi kwa sababu alimpenda kama nafsi yake mwenyewe. 418:4 Mwa 41:42; 2Sam 18:11Yonathani akavua joho alilokuwa amevaa na kumpa Daudi, pamoja na koti lake, silaha zake, hata pamoja na upanga wake, upinde wake na mshipi wake.
518:5 2Sam 5:2Lolote Sauli alilomtuma Daudi kufanya, alitenda kwa hekima, hata Sauli akampa cheo cha juu katika jeshi. Jambo hili likawapendeza watu wote, hata maafisa wa Sauli pia.
618:6 Kut 15:20; 2Sam 1:20; Za 68:25; Amu 11:34; Yer 31:4Watu walipokuwa wanarudi nyumbani baada ya Daudi kumuua yule Mfilisti, wanawake wakaja kutoka pande zote za miji ya Israeli kumlaki Mfalme Sauli kwa kuimba na kucheza, kwa nyimbo za furaha na kwa matari na zeze.
718:7 Kut 15:21; 1Sam 21:11; 29:5; 2Sam 18:3; Amu 5:3; 2Nya 5:13; Za 24:1-10; Isa 5:1Walipokuwa wanacheza, wakaimba:
“Sauli amewaua elfu zake,
naye Daudi makumi elfu yake.”
818:8 1Sam 13:14; 15:8; Mhu 4:4Sauli akakasirika sana; sehemu hii ya kurudia rudia ya wimbo huu ilimkasirisha sana. Akafikiri kuwa, “Wamempa Daudi makumi elfu, lakini mimi wamenipa elfu tu. Apate nini zaidi isipokuwa ufalme?” 918:9 Mwa 4:5; 31:2, 5; Mt 20:15; Lk 15:28Kuanzia wakati ule na kuendelea Sauli akawa na jicho la wivu juu ya Daudi.
1018:10 Amu 9:23; 1Sam 16:14; 10:5; 16:21; 19:7; 17; 6; 1Fal 18:29; Mdo 16:16Kesho yake roho mbaya iliyoachiwa nafasi na Mungu ikaja kwa nguvu juu ya Sauli. Alikuwa akitabiri nyumbani mwake, wakati Daudi alikuwa akipiga kinubi, kama alivyozoea. Sauli alikuwa na mkuki mkononi mwake; 1118:11 1Sam 20:7, 33; 19:10; Za 132:1akautupa kwa nguvu, akijiambia mwenyewe, “Nitamchoma kwa mkuki abaki hapo ukutani.” Lakini Daudi akamkwepa mara mbili.
1218:12 1Sam 16:13; Yos 1:5; 1Sam 17:37; 20:13; 1Nya 22:11; Amu 16:20Sauli akamwogopa Daudi, kwa sababu Bwana alikuwa pamoja na Daudi, lakini alikuwa amemwacha yeye. 1318:13 Hes 27:17; 2Sam 5:2Kwa hiyo Sauli akamwondoa Daudi mbele yake na kumpa kuwa kiongozi wa watu elfu moja, naye Daudi akatoka na kuingia akiongoza vikosi katika vita. 1418:14 Mwa 39:2, 3; Hes 14:43; 2Sam 7:9; Yos 6:27Katika kila kitu alichofanya, Daudi alipata mafanikio makubwa, kwa sababu Bwana alikuwa pamoja naye. 15Sauli alipoona jinsi alivyokuwa akifanikiwa, akamwogopa. 1618:16 2Sam 5:2Lakini Israeli wote na Yuda walimpenda Daudi, kwa sababu ndiye alikuwa akiwaongoza katika vita vyao.
1718:17 1Sam 17:25; Mwa 29:26; Hes 21:14; 1Sam 20:33; 25:28Sauli akamwambia Daudi, “Huyu hapa binti yangu mkubwa Merabu. Nitakupa umwoe, endapo tu utanitumikia kwa ushujaa na kupigana vita vya Bwana.” Kwa maana Sauli alisema moyoni mwake, “Sitainua mkono wangu dhidi yake. Acha mkono wa Wafilisti uwe juu yake.”
1818:18 Kut 3:11; 1Sam 9:21; 2Sam 7:18; Rut 2:10; Mit 15:33Lakini Daudi akamwambia Sauli, “Mimi ni nani, nayo jamaa yangu ni nini au ukoo wa baba yangu katika Israeli, kwamba mimi niwe mkwewe mfalme?” 1918:19 2Sam 21:8; Amu 7:22Basi ulipofika wakati wa Daudi kupewa Merabu, binti Sauli, huyo binti aliozwa kwa Adrieli, Mmeholathi.
2018:20 Mwa 29:26Basi Mikali binti Sauli alimpenda Daudi, nao walipomwambia Sauli juu ya jambo hili, likampendeza. 2118:21 Kut 10:7; 7:16; Za 7:14-16; Mit 26:24-26; Yer 5:26; 9:8Sauli akawaza, “Nitampa Daudi binti yangu, ili apate kuwa mtego kwake, ili kwamba mkono wa Wafilisti upate kuwa juu yake.” Hivyo Sauli akamwambia Daudi, “Sasa unayo nafasi ya pili ya kuwa mkwe wangu.”
22Ndipo Sauli akawaagiza watumishi wake, akisema, “Zungumzeni na Daudi kwa siri na kumwambia, ‘Tazama, mfalme amependezwa nawe, nao watumishi wake wote wanakupenda. Basi na uwe mkwewe mfalme.’ ”
23Watumishi wa Sauli wakarudia hayo maneno kwa Daudi. Lakini Daudi akasema, “Je, mnafikiri ni jambo dogo kuwa mkwewe mfalme? Mimi ni mtu maskini tu, na nisiyejulikana sana.”
24Watumishi wa Sauli walipomweleza yale Daudi aliyoyasema, 2518:25 Mwa 34:12; Za 8:2; 44:16; Yer 20:10; Kut 22:17Sauli akajibu, “Mwambieni Daudi, ‘Mfalme hataki zawadi nyingine kuwa mahari isipokuwa magovi 100 ya Wafilisti, ili kulipiza kisasi juu ya adui zake.’ ” Mawazo ya Sauli yalikuwa Daudi akaanguke mikononi mwa Wafilisti.
26Watumishi walipomwambia Daudi mambo haya, ikampendeza kuwa mkwewe mfalme. Basi kabla siku iliyopangwa haijafika, 2718:27 2Sam 3:14; 6:16Daudi na watu wake walitoka na kuwaua Wafilisti mia mbili. Akayaleta magovi yao na kupeleka hesabu kamilifu kwa mfalme, ili kwamba apate kuwa mkwewe mfalme. Ndipo Sauli akamwoza Daudi Mikali binti yake.
28Sauli alipotambua kuwa Bwana alikuwa pamoja na Daudi na kwamba Mikali binti yake anampenda Daudi, 2918:29 1Sam 18:20; Mhu 4:4; Yak 2:13Sauli akazidi kumwogopa Daudi, naye Sauli akabaki kuwa adui yake siku zote za maisha yake.
3018:30 1Sam 11:1; Lk 21:15Majemadari wa jeshi la Wafilisti waliendelea kupigana vita na kadiri walivyoendelea kupigana, Daudi akazidi kutenda kwa hekima kuliko maafisa wengine wa Sauli, nalo jina lake likajulikana sana.
