American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
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.
And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
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.
And David {Or, went out; whithersoever Saul sent him, he &c.}went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and {Or, prospered}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.
And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the {Or, Philistines}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 {Or, triangles Or, three-stringed instruments}instruments of music.
And the women {Or, answered one another}sang one to another as they played, and said,Saul hath slain his thousands,And David his ten thousands.
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?
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he {Or, raved}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;
and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul.
Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
And David {Or, prospered}behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him.
And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him.
But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.
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.
And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and {Or, who are my kinsfolk}what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?
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.
And Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
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.
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.
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?
And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.
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.
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;
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.
And Saul saw and knew that Jehovah was with David; and Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him.
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually.
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David {Or, prospered more than}behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much {Hebrew: precious.}set by.
So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
This thou knowest, that all that are in Asia turned away from me; of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.
And it was so, as the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised him in her heart.
Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
And David said unto Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel: therefore will I play before Jehovah.
And I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids of whom thou hast spoken, of them shall I be had in honor.
And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.