¹⁸ Then he continued, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed?^{(A) 19} Now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant: If it is the Lord who has incited you against me,^(B) then may he accept an offering.^(C) But if it is people,^(D) may they be cursed in the presence of the Lord, for today they have banished me from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying,^(E) ‘Go and worship other gods.’ ²⁰ So don’t let my blood fall to the ground far from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea,^(F) like one who pursues a partridge in the mountains.”