1 Samuel 18:17–30
17Saul told David, "Here — I'll give you my oldest daughter Merab as your wife. Just be brave for me and fight the LORD's battles." But privately, Saul was thinking, "I won't have to kill him myself. The Philistines will do it for me." 18David replied to Saul, "Who am I? What is my life or my family's standing in Israel that I should become the king's son-in-law?" 19But when the time came for Merab to be given to David, Saul gave her instead to Adriel the Meholathite as his wife. 20Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. When Saul heard about it, he was pleased. 21Saul thought, "I'll give her to him — she'll be the trap that leads him into the hands of the Philistines." So Saul said to David, "Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law." 22Then Saul instructed his servants, "Talk to David privately and tell him, 'The king is fond of you, and all his servants like you. You should become the king's son-in-law.'" 23Saul's servants passed along these words to David. But David said, "Do you think becoming the king's son-in-law is a small thing? I'm just a poor man with no reputation." 24Saul's servants reported back to him exactly what David had said. 25Saul told them, "Say this to David: 'The king doesn't want any bride price — just 100 foreskins from the Philistines, as revenge against his enemies.'" Saul's real plan was for David to die at the hands of the Philistines. 26When the servants relayed this to David, he was happy with the arrangement. Before the deadline had passed, 27David and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. David brought back their foreskins and presented the full count to the king so he could become the king's son-in-law. Saul then gave him his daughter Michal as his wife. 28Saul could see clearly that the LORD was with David, and that his own daughter Michal loved him. 29This made Saul even more afraid of David, and from then on, Saul was David's enemy continually. 30Whenever the Philistine commanders came out to fight, David outperformed every one of Saul's officers. His reputation grew, and his name became widely honored.