1 Samuel 18:17

KJV1611 – Modern English

And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give you as your wife: only be valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

    Saul said to David, 'Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage, but you must serve me bravely and fight the LORD’s battles.' For Saul thought, 'I will not raise my hand against him; let the Philistines do that.'

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    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.

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    And Saul{H7586} said{H559} to David,{H1732} Behold, my elder{H1419} daughter{H1323} Merab,{H4764} her will I give{H5414} thee to wife:{H802} only be thou valiant{H1121} for me, and fight{H3898} Jehovah's{H3068} battles.{H4421} For Saul{H7586} said,{H559} Let not my hand{H3027} be upon him, but let the hand{H3027} of the Philistines{H6430} be upon him.

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    And Saul{H7586} said{H559}{(H8799)} to David{H1732}, Behold my elder{H1419} daughter{H1323} Merab{H4764}, her will I give{H5414}{(H8799)} thee to wife{H802}: only be thou valiant{H1121}{H2428} for me, and fight{H3898}{(H8734)} the LORD'S{H3068} battles{H4421}. For Saul{H7586} said{H559}{(H8804)}, Let not mine hand{H3027} be upon him, but let the hand{H3027} of the Philistines{H6430} be upon him.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    And Saul sayde vnto Dauid: Beholde, my greatest doughter Merob wyl I geue the to wyfe: be stronge now, & gouerne the warres of the LORDE. For Saul thought: my hade shal not be vpon him, but the hande of ye Pilistynes

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    Then Saul sayd to Dauid, Beholde mine eldest daughter Merab, her I will giue thee to wife: onely be a valiant sonne vnto me, & fight the Lordes battels: for Saul thought, Mine hand shal not be vpon him, but the hand of the Philistims shalbe vpon him.

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    And Saul sayde to Dauid: Beholde my eldest daughter Merob, her I will geue thee to wife: Onely be a valiaunt sonne vnto me, & fight the Lordes battayles. For Saul thought: Mine hand shall not be vpon him, but the hande of the Philistines shalbe vpon him.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    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.

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    Saul said to David, Behold, my elder daughter Merab, her will I give you as wife: only be valiant for me, and fight Yahweh's battles. For Saul said, Don't let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    And Saul saith unto David, `Lo, my elder daughter Merab -- her I give to thee for a wife; only, be to me for a son of valour, and fight the battles of Jehovah;' and Saul said, `Let not my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.'

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    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.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    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.

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    And Saul said to David, Here is my oldest daughter Merab, whom I will give you for your wife: only be strong for me, fighting in the Lord's wars. For Saul said, Let it not be through me that his fate comes to him, but through the Philistines.

  • World English Bible (2000)

    Saul said to David, "Behold, my elder daughter Merab, I will give her to you as wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight Yahweh's battles." For Saul said, "Don't let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him."

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    Then Saul said to David,“Here’s my oldest daughter, Merab. I want to give her to you in marriage. Only be a brave warrior for me and fight the battles of the LORD.”For Saul thought,“There’s no need for me to raise my hand against him. Let it be the hand of the Philistines!”

Referenced Verses

  • 1 Sam 18:25 : 25 And Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desires no dowry, but a 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.
  • 1 Sam 25:28 : 28 Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant, for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in you all your days.
  • 1 Sam 17:25 : 25 The men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
  • 1 Sam 18:21 : 21 And Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, Today you shall be my son-in-law in one of the two.
  • 1 Sam 17:47 : 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.
  • 2 Sam 11:15 : 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront of the fiercest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.
  • 2 Sam 12:9 : 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
  • Ps 12:2 : 2 They speak vanity everyone with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
  • Ps 55:21 : 21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
  • Num 21:14 : 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, What He did in the Red Sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,
  • Num 32:20 : 20 And Moses said to them, If you will do this thing, if you will go armed before the LORD to war,
  • Num 32:27 : 27 But your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord says.
  • Num 32:29 : 29 And Moses said to them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man armed for battle, before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession.
  • Deut 17:7 : 7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put the evil away from among you.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • 87%

    18 And David said to 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?

    19 But it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.

    20 And Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

    21 And Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, Today you shall be my son-in-law in one of the two.

    22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Speak with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you: now therefore be the king's son-in-law.

    23 And Saul's servants spoke those words in David's ears. And David said, Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

    24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, This is what David spoke.

    25 And Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desires no dowry, but a 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.

    26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law: and before the days had expired,

    27 Therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.

    28 And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him.

    29 And Saul was yet more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.

    30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, when they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was highly esteemed.

  • 77%

    12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make your league with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring about all Israel unto you.

    13 And he said, Well; I will make a league with you. But one thing I require of you, and that is, You shall not see my face, except you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.

    14 And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I espoused to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

  • 25 The men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.

  • 75%

    31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.

    32 David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

    33 Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are just a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.

  • 74%

    37 David said moreover, The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, Go, and the LORD be with you.

    38 Saul clothed David with his armor, put a bronze helmet on his head, and clothed him with a coat of mail.

  • 73%

    57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

    58 Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

  • 73%

    21 And the woman came to Saul, and saw that he was very troubled, and said to him, Behold, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.

    22 Now therefore, please listen also to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.

  • 17 And Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me so, and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill you?

  • 5 And David went out wherever 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.

  • 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

  • 44 But Saul had given Michal, his daughter, David's wife, to Palti, the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

  • 49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger was Michal.

  • 1 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

  • 11 Saul also sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning; and Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you shall be killed.

  • 55 When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.

  • 17 And he said to him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you; and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you; and that also Saul my father knows.

  • 1 And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should quickly escape into the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of me, to seek me any longer in any territory of Israel. Thus I will escape out of his hand.

  • 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray you, stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.

  • 21 Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.

  • 13 And Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

  • 7 Then Saul said to his servants that stood about him, Hear now, you Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds;

  • 17 And Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O king."

  • 25 Then Saul said to David, "Blessed are you, my son David. You shall do great things, and also shall still prevail." So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

  • 1 Sam 18:7-8
    2 verses
    71%

    7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

    8 And Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

  • 15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.

  • 18 Now then do it, for the LORD has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.

  • 9 And David said to Saul, Why do you listen to men's words, saying, Behold, David seeks your harm?

  • 40 And when the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David sent us to you, to take you to him as a wife.

  • 52 There was fierce war against the Philistines throughout the days of Saul. When Saul saw any strong or valiant man, he took him into his service.