11. He raised the spear and thought, “I’ll nail David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice.
12. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul.
13. So he kept David away. He made David captain of a regiment. David led the troops out ⌊to battle⌋ and back again.
14. He was successful in everything he undertook because the Lord was with him.
15. Saul noticed how very successful he was and became ⌊even more⌋ afraid of him.
16. Everyone in Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in and out ⌊of battle⌋.
17. Finally, Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife if you prove yourself to be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” (Saul thought, “I must not lay a hand on him. Let the Philistines do that.”)
18. “Who am I?” David asked Saul. “And how important are my relatives or my father’s family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”
19. But when the time came to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was married to Adriel from Meholah.
20. However, Saul’s daughter Michal fell in love with David. When Saul was told about it, the news pleased him.
21. Saul thought, “I’ll give her to David. She will trap him, and the Philistines will get him.” So he said to David a second time, “You will now be my son-in-law.”
22. Saul ordered his officers, “Talk to David in private. Tell him, ‘The king likes you, and all his officers are fond of you. Become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”
23. When Saul’s officers made it a point to say this, David asked, “Do you think it’s easy to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor and unimportant person.”