¹³ So Saul sent him away, and made him a captain over a thousand; and he went about his business before the people.

² In the past when Saul was king over us, it was you who went at the head of Israel when they went out or came in: and the Lord said to you, You are to be the keeper of my people Israel and their ruler.

¹⁶ Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, put a man at the head of this people,

¹⁷ To go out and come in before them and be their guide; so that the people of the Lord may not be like sheep without a keeper.

¹² And he will make them captains of thousands and of fifties; some he will put to work ploughing and cutting his grain and making his instruments of war and building his war-carriages.

¹⁶ But David was loved by all Israel and Judah, for he went out and came in before them.

¹⁷ And Saul said to David, Here is my oldest daughter Merab, whom I will give you for your wife: only be strong for me, fighting in the Lord's wars. For Saul said, Let it not be through me that his fate comes to him, but through the Philistines.

²⁵ And Saul said, Then say to David, The king has no desire for any bride-price, but only for the private parts of a hundred Philistines so that the king may get the better of his haters. But it was in Saul's mind that David might come to his end by the hands of the Philistines.

⁷ Then Saul said to his servants who were there about him, Give ear now, you Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give to every one of you fields and vine-gardens, will he make you all captains of hundreds and captains of thousands;

⁸ The Lord will keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time and for ever.