The name of Saul&#8217;s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the general in command of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul&#8217;s uncle.<n id="1" />

When the time came for Merab, Saul&#8217;s daughter, to be given to David, she instead was given in marriage to Adriel, who was from Meholah.p>

As for Nob, the city of the priests, he struck down with the sword men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep &#8211; all with the sword.p>

<p class="bodytext">But one of the servants told Nabal&#8217;s wife Abigail, &#8220;David sent messengers from the desert to greet<n id="1" /> our lord, but he screamed at them.

In the morning, when Nabal was sober,<n id="1" /> his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, &#8220;David has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife.&#8221;

Then Abigail quickly went and mounted her donkey, with five of her female servants accompanying her.<n id="1" /> She followed David&#8217;s messengers and became his wife.p>

When David would attack a district,<n id="1" /> he would leave neither man nor woman alive. He would take sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and would then go back to Achish.

The king said to her, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid! What have you seen?&#8221; The woman replied to Saul, &#8220;I have seen one like a god<n id="1" /> coming up from the ground!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">But he refused, saying, &#8220;I won&#8217;t eat!&#8221; Both his servants and the woman urged<n id="1" /> him to eat, so he gave in.<n id="2" /> He got up from the ground and sat down on the bed.

They took captive the women who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on their way.p>

<p class="bodytext">So her husband Elkanah said to her, &#8220;Do what you think best.<n id="1" /> Stay until you have weaned him. May the <sc>Lordsc> fulfill his promise.&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="bodytext">So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

<p class="bodytext">Now Eli was very old when he heard about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel<n id="1" /> and how they used to have sex with<n id="2" /> the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

<p class="bodytext">His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and close to giving birth. When she heard that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she doubled over and gave birth. But her labor pains were too much for her.

So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don&#8217;t spare<n id="1" /> them. Put them to death &#8211; man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">When the men<n id="1" /> arrived after David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women from all the cities of Israel came out singing and dancing to meet King Saul. They were happy as they played their tambourines and three-stringed instruments.<n id="2" />

<n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Then Saul said to David, &#8220;Here&#8217;s my oldest daughter, Merab. I want to give her to you in marriage. Only be a brave warrior<n id="2" /> for me and fight the battles of the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8221; For Saul thought, &#8220;There&#8217;s no need for me to raise my hand against him. Let it be the hand of the Philistines!&#8221;p>

when David, along with his men, went out<n id="1" /> and struck down two hundred Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and presented all of them to the king so he could become the king&#8217;s son-in-law. Saul then gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.p>

<p class="bodytext">Saul sent messengers to David&#8217;s house to guard it and to kill him in the morning. Then David&#8217;s wife Michal told him, &#8220;If you do not save yourself<n id="1" /> tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The priest replied to David, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers<n id="1" /> have abstained from sexual relations with women.&#8221;<n id="2" />