²⁰ Now Saul’s daughter Michal^(A) was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.^{(B) 21} “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare^(C) 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?^(D) 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^(E) for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge^(F) on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan^(G) 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^(H) in marriage.

²⁸ When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal^(I) loved David, ²⁹ Saul became still more afraid^(J) 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^(K) than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.

⁹ But an evil^[a] spirit^(A) from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre,^{(B) 10} Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded^(C) him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

¹¹ Saul sent men to David’s house to watch^(D) it and to kill him in the morning.^(E) But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” ¹² So Michal let David down through a window,^(F) and he fled and escaped. ¹³ Then Michal took an idol^(G) and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.

¹⁴ When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said,^(H) “He is ill.”

¹⁵ Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.” ¹⁶ But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair.

¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?”

Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?’”