18:1 大衛對掃羅說完了話，約拿單的心與大衛的心深相契合。約拿單愛大衛，如同愛自己的性命。
18:2 那日掃羅留住大衛，不容他再回父家。
18:3 約拿單愛大衛如同愛自己的性命，就與他結盟。
18:4 約拿單從身上脫下外袍，給了大衛，又將戰衣、刀、弓、腰帶都給了他。
18:5 掃羅無論差遣大衛往何處去，他都做事精明。掃羅就立他作戰士長，眾百姓和掃羅的臣僕無不喜悅。
18:6 大衛打死了那非利士人，同眾人回來的時候，婦女們從以色列各城裡出來，歡歡喜喜，打鼓擊磬，歌唱跳舞，迎接掃羅王。
18:7 眾婦女舞蹈唱和，說：「掃羅殺死千千，大衛殺死萬萬。」
18:8 掃羅甚發怒，不喜悅這話，就說：「將萬萬歸大衛，千千歸我，只剩下王位沒有給他了。」
18:9 從這日起，掃羅就怒視大衛。
18:10 次日，從上帝那裡來的惡魔大大降在掃羅身上，他就在家中胡言亂語。大衛照常彈琴，掃羅手裡拿著槍。
18:11 掃羅把槍一掄，心裡說，我要將大衛刺透，釘在牆上。大衛躲避他兩次。
18:12 掃羅懼怕大衛；因為耶和華離開自己，與大衛同在。
18:13 所以掃羅使大衛離開自己，立他為千夫長，他就領兵出入。
18:14 大衛做事無不精明，耶和華也與他同在。
18:15 掃羅見大衛做事精明，就甚怕他。
18:16 但以色列和猶大眾人都愛大衛，因為他領他們出入。
18:17 掃羅對大衛說：「我將大女兒米拉給你為妻，只要你為我奮勇，為耶和華爭戰。」掃羅心裡說：「我不好親手害他，要藉非利士人的手害他。」
18:18 大衛對掃羅說：「我是誰，我是甚麼出身，我父家在以色列中是何等的家，豈敢作王的女婿呢？」
18:19 掃羅的女兒米拉到了當給大衛的時候，掃羅卻給了米何拉人亞得列為妻。
18:20 掃羅的次女米甲愛大衛。有人告訴掃羅，掃羅就喜悅。
18:21 掃羅心裡說：「我將這女兒給大衛，作他的網羅，好藉非利士人的手害他。」所以掃羅對大衛說：「你今日可以第二次作我的女婿。」
18:22 掃羅吩咐臣僕說：「你們暗中對大衛說：『王喜悅你，王的臣僕也都喜愛你，所以你當作王的女婿。』」
18:23 掃羅的臣僕就照這話說給大衛聽。大衛說：「你們以為作王的女婿是一件小事嗎？我是貧窮卑微的人。」
18:24 掃羅的臣僕回奏說，大衛所說的如此如此。
18:25 掃羅說：「你們要對大衛這樣說：『王不要甚麼聘禮，只要一百非利士人的陽皮，好在王的仇敵身上報仇。』」掃羅的意思要使大衛喪在非利士人的手裡。
18:26 掃羅的臣僕將這話告訴大衛，大衛就歡喜作王的女婿。日期還沒有到，
18:27 大衛和跟隨他的人起身前往，殺了二百非利士人，將陽皮滿數交給王，為要作王的女婿。於是掃羅將女兒米甲給大衛為妻。
18:28 掃羅見耶和華與大衛同在，又知道女兒米甲愛大衛，
18:29 就更怕大衛，常作大衛的仇敵。
18:30 每逢非利士軍長出來打仗，大衛比掃羅的臣僕做事精明，因此他的名被人尊重。
After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan 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.
5 Whatever 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.
6 When 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. 7 As they danced, they sang:
“Saul
has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.”
8 Saul 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?” 9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
10 The next day an evil[a] 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 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14 In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.
17 Saul 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!”
18 But 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?” 19 So[b] when the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
20 Now 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.”
22 Then 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.’”
23 They 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.”
24 When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25 Saul 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.
26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27 David 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.
28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
30 The 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.
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《論語》述而篇中說到：「君子坦蕩蕩，小人常戚戚。」也就是說：「自君子心胸寬廣，能夠包容別人；小人愛斤斤計較，心胸狹窄。」
掃羅和大衛似乎是小人和君子的比對，從掃羅的種種作為可以讓我們看見！他是因為忌妒而生恨，生恨之後就無所不用其極要除掉大衛！然而上帝卻保守大衛，不管任何的景況，大衛總是勝過掃羅一籌！而每一次的勝過，並不是帶給大衛亨通，反而是更大的阻力！
其實上帝所重用的人，上帝也是這樣的考驗，使他們越來越堅強！我們也要有這樣面對考驗的心志，因為敵人越是強大，我們就再次看見上帝的大能扶持我們，使我們不斷的得勝再得勝！但是更要感謝上帝的是，在一次次的考驗中我們發現若不是上帝的保守，我們真是沒辦法經過仇敵的猛烈攻擊！
正如詩人所說：「耶和華是應當稱頌的！他沒有把我們當野食交給他們吞吃（原文是牙齒）。」(詩篇124:6)
這也是大衛遇到掃羅攻擊的生命寫照！上帝也必如此保守我們，直到那日！
