1 Samuel 18:17-29

New King James Version

David Marries Michal

¹⁷Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; ^(A)I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight ^(B)the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, ^(C)“Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

¹⁸So David said to Saul, ^(D)“Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to ^(E)Adriel the ^(F)Meholathite as a wife.

²⁰^(G)Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may ^[a]be a snare to him, and that ^(H)the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, ^(I)“You shall be my son-in-law today.”

²²And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”

²³So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” ²⁴And the servants of Saul told him, saying, ^[b]“In this manner David spoke.”

²⁵Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any ^(J)dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take ^(K)vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul ^(L)thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now ^(M)the days had not expired; ²⁷therefore David arose and went, he and ^(N)his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And ^(O)David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.

²⁸Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; ²⁹and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy ^[c]continually.

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Footnotes

1 Samuel 18:21 be bait for
1 Samuel 18:24 Lit. According to these words
1 Samuel 18:29 all the days

1 Samuel 18:17-29

New International Version

¹⁷Saul 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!”

¹⁸But David said to Saul, “Who am I,^(E) and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?^(F)” ¹⁹So^[a] when the time came for Merab,^(G) Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.^(H)

²⁰Now Saul’s daughter Michal^(I) was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.^(J) ²¹“I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare^(K) 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.”

²²Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’”

²³They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law?^(L) I’m only a poor man and little known.”

²⁴When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, ²⁵Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price^(M) for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge^(N) on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan^(O) was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

²⁶When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, ²⁷David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal^(P) in marriage.

²⁸When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal^(Q) loved David, ²⁹Saul became still more afraid^(R) of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

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