1 Saul and David finished their conversation. After that, Saul's son Jonathan was deeply attracted to David and came to love him as much as he loved himself. 2 Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him go back home. 3 Jonathan swore eternal friendship with David because of his deep affection for him. 4 He took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, together with his armor and also his sword, bow, and belt. 5 David was successful in all the missions on which Saul sent him, and so Saul made him an officer in his army. This pleased all of Saul's officers and men.
Saul Becomes Jealous of David
6 As David was returning after killing Goliath and as the soldiers were coming back home, women from every town in Israel came out to meet King Saul. They were singing joyful songs, dancing, and playing tambourines and lyres. 7 In their celebration the women sang, “Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands.” 8 Saul did not like this, and he became very angry. He said, “For David they claim tens of thousands, but only thousands for me. They will be making him king next!” 9 And so he was jealous and suspicious of David from that day on.
10 The next day an evil spirit from God suddenly took control of Saul, and he raved in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did every day, and Saul was holding a spear. 11 “I'll pin him to the wall,” Saul said to himself, and he threw the spear at him twice; but David dodged each time.
12 Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with David but had abandoned him. 13 So Saul sent him away and put him in command of a thousand men. David led his men in battle 14 and was successful in all he did, because the Lord was with him. 15 Saul noticed David's success and became even more afraid of him. 16 But everyone in Israel and Judah loved David because he was such a successful leader.
David Marries Saul's Daughter
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife on condition that you serve me as a brave and loyal soldier, and fight the Lord's battles.” (Saul was thinking that in this way the Philistines would kill David, and he would not have to do it himself.)
18 David answered, “Who am I and what is my family that I should become the king's son-in-law?” 19 But when the time came for Merab to be given to David, she was given instead to a man named Adriel from Meholah.
20 Saul's daughter Michal, however, fell in love with David, and when Saul heard of this, he was pleased. 21 He said to himself, “I'll give Michal to David; I will use her to trap him, and he will be killed by the Philistines.” So for the second time Saul said to David, “You will be my son-in-law.” 22 He ordered his officials to speak privately with David and tell him, “The king is pleased with you and all his officials like you; now is a good time for you to marry his daughter.”
23 So they told this to David, and he answered, “It's a great honor to become the king's son-in-law, too great for someone poor and insignificant like me.”
24 The officials told Saul what David had said, 25 and Saul ordered them to tell David: “All the king wants from you as payment for the bride are the foreskins of a hundred dead Philistines, as revenge on his enemies.” (This was how Saul planned to have David killed by the Philistines.) 26 Saul's officials reported to David what Saul had said, and David was delighted with the thought of becoming the king's son-in-law. Before the day set for the wedding, 27 David and his men went and killed two hundred Philistines. He took their foreskins to the king and counted them all out to him, so that he might become his son-in-law. So Saul had to give his daughter Michal in marriage to David.
28 Saul realized clearly that the Lord was with David and also that his daughter Michal loved him. 29 So he became even more afraid of David and was his enemy as long as he lived.
30 The Philistine armies would come and fight, but in every battle David was more successful than any of Saul's other officers. As a result David became very famous.
1 Kwakati Dafite asinopedza lebeleka na Saulo, meya dza Jonatani na Dafite dzikawililana, Jonatani kada Dafite sekwa ezwida. 2 Kudwa zhuba ilelo Saulo katola Dafite kagala naye, kasitjan'dumile kubgwilila ku nzi wa tate babe. 3 Ndizo Jonatani kathama tjidumano na Dafite, ngobe akabe en'da sekwa ezwida. 4 Jonatani kaambula tjiambalo tjaakabe akaambala katjipa Dafite, kampilanya ne zwiambalo zwizwe zwe ngwa, nenge bukanu gugwe ne dati le nsebe ne mwandabula uwe. 5 Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaakabe etumwa ndi Saulo kutjithama, Dafite wakabe etjitubula, ndizo Saulo kampa mamo apezhugwi mu ngwa. Ikoku kukashathisa bathu bose ne makulukota a Saulo dumbu.
6 Kwakati bathu babgwilila ku nzi, Dafite asinobulaya Nfilisitiya, bakadzi bakabhuda mu mizi yose ye Iziraela, beshanganidza Mambo Saulo bemba bezana, bemba njimbo dze shatho, belidza thamborini ne laya. 7 Bakabe bezana bemba beti, “Saulo wakabulaya zwiwulu (1 000) zwizwe, ngono Dafite kabulaya zwizwe zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000).” 8 Saulo wakazhala bushongola kwazo, ngobe matama iyawa, akankutha. Kabe eti, “Dafite bampa tjiala tje zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000), koga imi bendipa tjiala tje tjiwulu (1 000) koga, apa ini tjansalila, akusi kutola mbuso?” 9 Kudwa ipapo kuyenda mbeli, Saulo katjila nge lubengo kuna Dafite.
10 Kwakati tjimuka meya mibi inodwa ku Ndzimu ikadelukila muna Saulo nge masimba, ikampengesa ali mu ng'umba iye, Dafite elidza harepa sekwa agala ethama mazhuba wose. Saulo wakabe akabhata thumo lile nge luboko. 11 Ngono Saulo kaposa thumo kazwidwa eti, “Ndowobhayila Dafite mu guma.” Koga Dafite kandzeta kabili kose. 12 Saulo wakabe etja Dafite, ngobe Yahwe bakabe bana Dafite, bafupatila Saulo. 13 Ndizo Saulo katata Dafite panli, kanthama nlauli we balume bali tjiwulu (1 000), ngono Dafite kayenda, kanobuya akatungamila bathu. 14 Dafite wakabe etubula muna zose zwaakabe eshinga, ngobe Yahwe bakabe banaye. 15 Kukati Saulo ebona sekwa Dafite etubula ndiko, kantja. 16 Koga Baiziraela ne Bajuda bose bakabe beda Dafite, ngobe akabe ebatungamila mu ngwa dzabo.
Dafite unolobola nkololokadzi wa Saulo
17 Ndizo Saulo kadwa Dafite kati, “Nkololokadzi wangu we mbano Merabhu woyu, ndowokupa iye kabe nkadzi uwo, undishingile nge tjilopa tjakasima kubhayana ngwa dza Yahwe.” Ngobe Saulo wakazwidwa eti, “Anditowommilidzila luboko, Bafilisitiya ndibo banowombulaya.” 18 Dafite kadwa Saulo kati, “Imi ndiani, ne ng'umba ya tate bangu ini, kene nsha wa tate bangu uni mu Iziraela, kwandingadzina abe nkwasha wa mambo kene?” 19 Koga kwakati kwatjibe tjibaka tje kuti nkololokadzi wa Saulo Merebhu apiwe Dafite kunlobola, kapiwa Adiriele we Mehola kuti abe nkadzi uwe.
20 Ipapo nkololokadzi wa Saulo unoyi Mikhali kada Dafite, Saulo kati ebudziwa ngekwako, kukanshathisa. 21 Saulo kazwidwa kati, “Ndowompa iye, ndiye wandinoshingisa kumbhata, kuti Bafilisitiya bambulaye.” Ipapo Saulo kadwa Dafite kati, “Ngwenu wawana zila ye bubili kube nkwasha wangu.” 22 Saulo kadwa balanda babe kati, “Lebelekani na Dafite mu ikohwa mun'dwe muti, ‘Bona mambo bakakushathila, ne balanda babo bose banokuda, ngwenu tjibe nkwasha wa mambo.’ ”
23 Balanda bakabgwilulula matama iyawa kuna Dafite. Ngono Dafite kabadwa kati, “Apa mokumbula kuti kuthu kutukununu kube nkwasha wa mambo kene? Bonani ndi nlume we nshayi usina tjilumbi.”
24 Kukati balanda ba Saulo bembudza tjalebgwa ndi Dafite, 25 Saulo kashandula eti, “Mudwe Dafite muti, ‘Mambo akuna tjabanoyemula tje malobolo, kuzhe kwe zana ling'ompela (100) le zwikanda zwa mbeli zwe Bafilisitiya, kuli kuzwibgwilizila kwa mambo mu zwita zwabo.’ ” Saulo eluka maano kuti Dafite abulawe nge Bafilisitiya. 26 Kwakati balanda ba Saulo bebudza Dafite matama iyawa, kashathila kube nkwasha wa mambo. Tjibaka tje gobe tjitjaduma. 27 Dafite kamilika ne bathu babe kanobulaya Bafilisitiya bali mazana mabili (200), kabuya ne zwikanda zwabo zwa mbeli, kazwipa mambo zwili mbalo izhele, kuti ndizo abe nkwasha wa mambo. Saulo kapa Dafite Mikhali nkololokadzi uwe kuti anlobole.
28 Kwakati Saulo asinobona kuti Yahwe bana Dafite, ne kuti nkololokadzi uwe Mikhali unon'da, 29 Saulo kadwilila etja Dafite kupinda, kabe tjita tja Dafite misi yose ye butjilo gugwe. 30 Balauli be babhayani be Bafilisitiya bakadwilila bebhuda beyenda ku ngwa, ngono bakabe beti bebhuda, Dafite kabe ne kutubula kupinda makulukota wose a Saulo, ndizo kabe ne tjilumbi tjikulu kwazo.