^49 (A)Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was ^(B)Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.

^33 (A)Ner was the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of ^(B)Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal;

² And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down ^(A)Jonathan and ^(B)Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

^39 (A)Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, ^(A)uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the ^(B)vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹ And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^(C)who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince^[a] over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. ²² I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your^[b] eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

¹³ And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, ^(A)you shall not see my face unless you first bring ^(B)Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.” ¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, ^(C)for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶ But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to ^(D)Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.

⁴⁴ Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

⁷ And the women ^(A)sang to one another as they celebrated,

⁸ And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but ^(C)the kingdom?” ⁹ And Saul eyed David from that day on.

¹⁰ The next day ^(D)a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^(E)he raved within his house while David was ^(F)playing the lyre, as he did day by day. ^(G)Saul had his spear in his hand. ¹¹ And Saul ^(H)hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

^12 (I)Saul was afraid of David because ^(J)the Lord was with him ^(K)but had departed from Saul. ¹³ So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. ^(L)And he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ And David ^(M)had success in all his undertakings, ^(N)for the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ And when Saul saw that ^(O)he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. ^16 (P)But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^(Q)my elder daughter Merab. ^(R)I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^(S)and fight the Lord's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^(T)but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸ And David said to Saul, ^(U)“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹ But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^(V)Adriel the ^(W)Meholathite for a wife.

²⁰ Now ^(X)Saul's daughter Michal ^(Y)loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹ Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^(Z)be a snare for him ^(AA)and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^{[a] (AB)}“You shall now be my son-in-law.”