²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned.^(A) I violated^(B) the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid^(C) of the men and so I gave in to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive^(D) my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”

²⁶ But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected^(E) the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”

²⁷ As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe,^(F) and it tore.^{(G) 28} Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn^(H) the kingdom^(I) of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you.^{(J) 29} He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie^(K) or change^(L) his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

³⁰ Saul replied, “I have sinned.^(M) But please honor^(N) me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” ³¹ So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

³² Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”

Agag came to him in chains.^[a] And he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

³³ But Samuel said,

And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel left for Ramah,^(P) but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah^(Q) of Saul. ³⁵ Until the day Samuel^(R) died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned^(S) for him. And the Lord regretted^(T) that he had made Saul king over Israel.

¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend^(A) his father’s sheep^(B) at Bethlehem.

¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah^[a](A) of roasted grain^(B) and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers^(C) are and bring back some assurance^[b] from them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰ Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other.