²⁵ Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? Surely he comes out to defy Israel. The king will give a great reward to the man who kills him. He will even give him his daughter in marriage, and he will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel.”

¹⁷ David’s Marriage. Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter, Merab, I will give her to you in marriage, only be a brave warrior and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul thought, “It will not be by my hand, but let it be by the hands of the Philistines.” ¹⁸ David said to Saul, “Who am I? What is my life or my father’s family worth in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”^{[a] 19} When Saul’s daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given instead to Adriel, the Meholathite, as his wife.

²⁰ Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When Saul was informed about this, he was pleased. ²¹ Saul thought, “I will give her to him so that she might be a trap for him and so that the hands of the Philistines will be against him.” Saul said to David, “You have a second chance to be my son-in-law.” ²² Saul ordered his servants, “Speak in confidence to David saying, ‘The king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. You should become the king’s son-in-law.’ ” ²³ Saul’s servants said these things to David, and David answered, “Do you think it is a light matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I am only a poor man and not highly esteemed.”

²⁴ Saul’s servants told him, “David was speaking about this thing.” ²⁵ Saul said, “This is what you are to say to David, ‘The king does not want a dowry, he only wants one hundred Philistine foreskins, so he might be avenged on the king’s enemies.’ ” Saul planned to have David fall at the hands of the Philistines.^{[b] 26} When his servants told David these things, David was well-pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the allotted time had expired, ²⁷ David went out with his men and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal, his daughter, in marriage.

²⁸ When Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, his daughter, loved him,