¹⁴ So the Lord relented^(A) concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.

¹¹ “I regret that I made Saul king,^(A) for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions.”^(B) So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night.^(C)

¹⁶ Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,^(A) but the Lord relented concerning the destruction^(B) and said to the angel who was destroying^(C) the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah^[a] the Jebusite.^(D)

³ The Lord relented concerning this.^(A) “It will not happen,” he said.

⁶ The Lord relented concerning this.^(A) “This will not happen either,” said the Lord God.

⁹ Who knows?^(A) God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.^(B)

¹⁰ God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways^(C)—so God relented from the disaster^(D) he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.