²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “^(A)I have sinned, for ^(B)I have violated the ^[a]command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. ²⁵ Now then, ^(C)please pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” ²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for ^(D)you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” ²⁷ Then Samuel turned to go, but ^(E)Saul grasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off. ²⁸ So Samuel said to him, “^(F)The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. ²⁹ Also the ^[b](G)Glory of Israel ^(H)will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.” ³⁰ Then Saul said, “I have sinned; ^(I)but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, ^(J)so that I may worship the Lord your God.” ³¹ So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

³² Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him ^[c]cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is gone!” ³³ But Samuel said, “^(K)As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to ^(L)Ramah, but Saul went up to his house at ^(M)Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ And ^(N)Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel ^(O)mourned for ^[d]Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.