⁸ Saul^[a] waited seven days for the appointment set by Samuel. When Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, as the people began to scatter from Saul,^{[b] 9} Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering and the peace offering to me,” and he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to meet and greet him.

¹¹ Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul replied, “When? I saw that the people were scattering from me, that you didn’t come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash. ¹² I^[c] thought, ‘The Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal but I’ve not sought the favor of the Lord,’ so I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³ Then Samuel told Saul, “You have acted foolishly. You haven’t obeyed the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, ¹⁴ but now your kingdom won’t be established. The Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as Commander-in-Chief^[d] over his people because you didn’t obey that which the Lord commanded you.”