¹⁷ Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter^(A) Merab. I will give her to you in marriage;^(B) only serve me bravely and fight the battles^(C) of the Lord.” For Saul said to himself,^(D) “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”

²⁸ “Please forgive^(A) your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting^(B) dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles,^(C) and no wrongdoing^(D) will be found in you as long as you live.

²⁵ Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price^(A) for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge^(B) on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan^(C) was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

²⁵ Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter^(A) in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes^(B) in Israel.”

²¹ “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare^(A) 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.”