1 Samuel 18:20-29

New Catholic Bible

²⁰ Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When Saul was informed about this, he was pleased. ²¹ Saul thought, “I will give her to him so that she might be a trap for him and so that the hands of the Philistines will be against him.” Saul said to David, “You have a second chance to be my son-in-law.” ²² Saul ordered his servants, “Speak in confidence to David saying, ‘The king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. You should become the king’s son-in-law.’ ” ²³ Saul’s servants said these things to David, and David answered, “Do you think it is a light matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I am only a poor man and not highly esteemed.”

²⁴ Saul’s servants told him, “David was speaking about this thing.” ²⁵ Saul said, “This is what you are to say to David, ‘The king does not want a dowry, he only wants one hundred Philistine foreskins, so he might be avenged on the king’s enemies.’ ” Saul planned to have David fall at the hands of the Philistines.^{[a] 26} When his servants told David these things, David was well-pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the allotted time had expired, ²⁷ David went out with his men and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal, his daughter, in marriage.

²⁸ When Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, his daughter, loved him, ²⁹ Saul dreaded him all the more, and Saul was David’s enemy for the rest of his life.