我對照幾個版本讀米甲的故事，發現New Living Translation（NLT）的翻譯最淋漓盡致，因為NLT不是字對字，而是尋求把故事的意境完整地用現代語言展現出來，叫做Dynamic Equivalence的翻譯。當然，你如果看Jewish Study Bible，JSB指出其中好幾處希伯來原文的意思並不清楚，翻譯只能猜測。我在此僅僅對照JSB提供的資料，來評論NLT翻譯的經文，記下我閱讀米甲故事和解經資料所得到的亮光。
JSB指出，米甲是聖經故事中唯一有名字、又被描述為愛某人的女子。真的，亞伯拉罕的妻子，以撒的妻子，聖經中都沒有說她們愛丈夫。這反映出聖經的時代文化吧。聖經沒有教導說女人的愛情沒有價值，但米甲的故事給我們看到的是一個愛情悲劇。
撒上十八章，眾人都喜愛大衛，結果掃羅因為嫉妒想要殺大衛，他首先想出借敵人的手來達到目的。於是他決定用女兒作誘餌，先假裝說要把大女兒給他：17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”
18 “Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!” 19 but when the time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David, he gave her instead to Adriel, a man from Meholah. 大衛的回答，JSB說原文中有what is my life，意思其實並不清楚。他既然提到「我家在以色列中」，大概是表示謙恭。決不是拒絕為掃羅王奮勇爭戰，更不是拒絕王的女兒。掃羅到時卻故意把女兒嫁給了另外一人，真是當眾羞辱大衛，也足顯掃羅的人品不正！
掃羅借刀殺人的意圖沒有得逞一定是不甘心，所以米甲愛大衛這件事給了他第二次機會。20 In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. 21 “Here’s another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law!”
掃羅找人傳話，抓住上次大衛的自謙之詞，暗示他的確因為家貧，沒有給足聘禮。22 Then Saul told his men to say to David, “The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don’t you accept the king’s offer and become his son-in-law?” 23 When Saul’s men said these things to David, he replied, “How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?”
24 When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, 25 he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight. 傳話過去，再提掃羅王只要殺敵報仇，不要別的。這次很明確，100非利士人的陽皮，任務不僅是殺戮，還要做100次冒犯敵人社區的事：從死人身上取陽皮來。
26 David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, 27 he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife. 做王的女婿好，大衛欣然接受，並帶領人順利完成任務。殺敵證據確鑿，掃羅技倆再次失敗，只好把米甲嫁給他。JSB註腳說明LXX譯本寫的不是200，而是100。你如果參考撒下三章，大衛也說是100陽皮，所以這裡大概是寫錯。
28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, 29 Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life. 掃羅意識到大衛廣得人心，包括女兒都站在他那邊，心裡就更怕。他是個安全感極差的人，和女兒關係大概是歷來不好，搞不好害怕女兒協助大衛來謀殺自己，就被大衛篡位？LXX中的這句話沒提米甲愛大衛，乃是說「全以色列」都愛他。
十九章繼續講掃羅企圖殺大衛的故事，他的兒子女兒都反對，起來保護大衛。米甲最後成功幫助大衛逃走，其間還拿家中的偶像拖延時間，搪塞掃羅派來的殺手。掃羅發現後很不高興，質問女兒為甚麼放「我的仇敵」逃走，他怎麼不說大衛是「你所愛的丈夫」呢？他根本不把女兒的愛情放在眼裡。
後來，大衛如果愛米甲，他是否會派人把米甲接來？沒有。廿五章記著說，大衛先娶了耶斯列人亞希暖，又娶了拿八的老婆亞比該為妻，然後補充說「掃羅已將他的女兒米甲，就是大衛的妻，給了迦琳人拉億的兒子帕提為妻」。中文翻譯聽來好像掃羅先把女兒給別人，大衛才又娶別人，但希伯來原文都是完成式，看不出先後。無論怎樣，我覺得掃羅王把自己的公主給第二個人是莫名其妙的，他恐怕不是出於愛女兒。
後來掃羅死了，大衛在希伯崙作猶大王，掃羅的兒子伊施波設在元帥的輔佐下作以色列王。大衛家和掃羅家爭戰許久，大衛雖然強盛，也決意不用武力除滅掃羅的後裔。一天，伊施波設得罪他的元帥押尼珥，押尼珥決定投效大衛，把以色列國和平歸給大衛家。撒下三章記著談判過程：12 Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.”13 “All right,” David replied, “but I will not negotiate with you unless you bring back my wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come.” 大衛怎麼想起米甲來了？要和平統一，他是掃羅王女婿這事可作很重要的政治法碼，可以增強他登基作王的合法權利。他如果與米甲生子，就更可以安撫掃羅派的勢力。JSB的註解說得一點不錯。
殘酷的政治和文化現實，沒有談情說愛，管他米甲和現任丈夫的感受如何，和對方的王打個招呼就行了。14 David then sent this message to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son: “Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives of 100 Philistines.”15 So Ishbosheth took Michal away from her husband, Palti son of Laish. 16 Palti followed along behind her as far as Bahurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, “Go back home!” So Palti returned.
大衛的回答自然透露出這樁政治婚姻的玄機：「耶和華已揀選我，廢了你父和你父的全家...」。至於生子安撫掃羅派，那都是人的盤算，神並不需要大衛用這一招。作出犧牲的是米甲，她的愛情既沒有被父王珍惜，也沒有有被夫王珍惜。她的第二任丈夫對她的愛也無足輕重。
我們可以從中學到甚麼呢？感想之一是：神是有恩慈憐憫的，可是人，即使是號稱合神心意，也是有限，他的價值觀不能超越文化，不能在每個方面都像神那樣有慈愛。
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