1 Samuel 26:10–23

¹⁰And David said, “As Yahweh lives,ⁱ certainly^j Yahweh will strike him, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down in the battle and perish.^{k 11}Yahweh forbid me^l from stretching out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed one! So then, please take the spear that is near his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” ¹²So David took the spear and the jar of water from near Saul’s head, and they went away. No one saw, no one knew, and no one awakened,^m for all of them were sleeping because a deep sleep of Yahweh had fallen upon them.

¹³Then David went to the other side and stood on the top of the hill at a distance; the distance was great between them. ¹⁴David called out to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” And Abner answered and said, “Who are you that you call to the king?” ¹⁵So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why did you not keep watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroyⁿ your lord the king. ¹⁶This thing that you have done is not good. As Yahweh lives,^o surely you people deserve to die^p since you have not kept watch over your lord, over Yahweh’s anointed one! So then, see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was near his head!” ¹⁷Then Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” ¹⁸Then he said, “Why is my lord pursuing after his servant? For what have I done? And what evil is in my hand? ¹⁹And so then, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant: If Yahweh has incited you against me, may he delight in an offering; but if it is mortals,^q may they be accursed before^r Yahweh, for they have driven me away today from sharing in the inheritance of Yahweh, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’ ²⁰And so then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from^s the presence of Yahweh, for the king of Israel has gone out to seek a single flea, as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹Then Saul said, “I have sinned! Come back, David my son, for I will not harm you again, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Look, I have acted like a fool and have made a terrible mistake.”^{t 22}David answered and said, “Here is the king’s spear; let one of the young men^u come over and take it. ²³Yahweh repays to each one his righteousness and his faithfulness, for Yahweh gave you into my hand today, but I was not willing to stretch out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed.