12. The Lord was with David but had left Saul. So Saul was afraid of David.
13. He sent David away from him. He made David commander of 1,000 soldiers. So David led them in battle.
14. He had great success in everything he did because the Lord was with him.
15. Saul saw that David was very successful. And he became even more afraid of David.
16. But all the people of Israel and Judah loved David. This was because he led them well in battle.
17. Saul said to David, “You’re a brave soldier. And you fight the Lord’s battles. Here is my older daughter Merab. I will let you marry her.” Saul had decided, “I won’t have to kill David. The Philistines will do that!”
18. But David said, “I am not good enough for this honor. And my family is not important enough for me to become the king’s son-in-law.”