1 Samuel 18:20-30
New English Translation
20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they told Saul about this, it[a] pleased him. 21 Saul said, “I will give her to him so that she may become a snare to him and so the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Today is the second time for you to become my son-in-law.”[b]
22 Then Saul instructed his servants, “Tell David secretly, ‘The king is pleased with you, and all his servants like you. So now become the king’s son-in-law.’” 23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words privately to[c] David. David replied, “Is becoming the king’s son-in-law something insignificant to you? I’m just a poor and lightly esteemed man!”
24 When Saul’s servants reported what David had said, 25 Saul replied, “Here is what you should say to David: ‘There is nothing that the king wants as a price for the bride except 100 Philistine foreskins, so that he can be avenged of his[d] enemies.’” (Now Saul was thinking that he could kill David by the hand of the Philistines.)
26 So his servants told David these things and David agreed[e] to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the specified time had not yet expired[f] 27 when David, along with his men, went out[g] and struck down 200 Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and presented all of them to the king so that he could become the king’s son-in-law. Saul then gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
28 When Saul realized[h] that the Lord was with David and that his[i] daughter Michal loved David,[j] 29 Saul became even more afraid of him.[k] Saul continued to be at odds with David from then on.[l] 30 [m] The leaders of the Philistines would march out, and as often as they did so, David achieved more success than all of Saul’s servants. His name was held in high esteem.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 18:20 tn Heb “the matter.”
- 1 Samuel 18:21 tc The final sentence of v. 21 is absent in most LXX mss.
- 1 Samuel 18:23 tn Heb “in the ears of.”
- 1 Samuel 18:25 tn Heb “the king’s.”
- 1 Samuel 18:26 tn Heb “and it was acceptable in the eyes of David.”
- 1 Samuel 18:26 tn Heb “the days were not fulfilled.”
- 1 Samuel 18:27 tn Heb “arose and went.”
- 1 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “saw and knew.”
- 1 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “Saul’s.” In the translation the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Samuel 18:29 tn Heb “of David.” In the translation the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Samuel 18:29 tc The final sentence of v. 29 is absent in most LXX mss.tn Heb “all the days.”
- 1 Samuel 18:30 tc Verse 30 is absent in most LXX mss.
1 Samuel 18:20-30
Christian Standard Bible
David’s Marriage to Michal
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal(A) loved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him. 21 “I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him.”(B) So Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.”(C)
22 Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Therefore, you should become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David, but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor commoner.”(D)
24 The servants reported back to Saul, “These are the words David spoke.”
25 Then Saul replied, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price(E) except a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’”(F) Actually, Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.(G)
26 When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived, 27 David and his men went out and killed two hundred[a] Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as full payment to the king to become his son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David as his wife.(H) 28 Saul realized[b] that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, 29 and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.
30 Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight,(I) David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers.(J) So his name became well known.
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