¹⁹ Why didn’t you obey the Lord? You did evil in the Lord’s eyes when you tore into the plunder!”

²⁰ “But I did obey the Lord!” Saul protested to Samuel. “I went on the mission the Lord sent me on. I captured Agag the Amalekite king, and I put the Amalekites under the ban. ²¹ Yes, the troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder—the very best items placed under the ban—but in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

²² Then Samuel replied,

² From that point forward, Saul kept David in his service^[a] and wouldn’t allow him to return to his father’s household.

⁵ David went out and was successful in every mission Saul sent him to do. So Saul placed him in charge of the soldiers, and this pleased all the troops as well as Saul’s servants.