6. As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments.
7. As they celebrated, the women sang:Saul has killed his thousands,but David his tens of thousands.
8. Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom? ”
9. So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.
10. The next day an evil spirit sent from God took control of Saul, and he began to rave inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual, but Saul was holding a spear,
11. and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin 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. Therefore, Saul reassigned David and made him commander over 1,000 men. David led the troops
14. and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him.
15. When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him.
16. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was leading their troops.
17. Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife, if you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “My hand doesn’t need to be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18. Then David responded, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law? ”
19. When it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
20. Now Saul’s daughter Michal 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.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.”