³⁵ Until the day Samuel^(A) died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned^(B) for him. And the Lord regretted^(C) 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.

¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah^[a](C) of roasted grain^(D) 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^(E) 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. ²² David left his things with the keeper of supplies,^(F) ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were.

²⁶ To Abiathar^(A) the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth.^(B) You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark^(C) of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.”^(D)