⁸ He waited seven^(A) days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. ⁹ So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered^(B) up the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel^(C) arrived, and Saul went out to greet^(D) him.

¹¹ “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,^{(E) 12} I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal,^(F) and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.^(G)’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³ “You have done a foolish thing,^(H)” Samuel said. “You have not kept^(I) the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.^{(J) 14} But now your kingdom^(K) will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart^(L) and appointed^(M) him ruler^(N) of his people, because you have not kept^(O) the Lord’s command.”

²⁰ “But I did obey^(A) the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. ²¹ The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

²² But Samuel replied:

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned.^(E) I violated^(F) the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid^(G) of the men and so I gave in to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive^(H) 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^(I) the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”

Psalm 51^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.^(A)