David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife; only be valiant for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I will not raise a hand against him; let the Philistines deal with him.”^{(A) 18} David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”^{(B) 19} But at the time when Saul’s daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.^(C)

²⁰ Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. Saul was told, and the thing pleased him.^{(D) 21} Saul thought, “Let me give her to him that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^[a] “You shall now be my son-in-law.”^{(E) 22} Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘See, the king is delighted with you, and all his servants love you; now then, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ” ²³ So Saul’s servants reported these words to David in private. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of no repute?” ²⁴ The servants of Saul told him, “This is what David said.” ²⁵ Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no marriage present except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged on the king’s enemies.’ ” Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.^{(F) 26} When his servants told David these words, David was well pleased to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the time had expired,^{(G) 27} David rose and went, along with his men, and killed one hundred^[b] of the Philistines, and David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife.^{(H) 28} But when Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that Saul’s daughter Michal loved him,