1 Samuel 26:18-21

26:18 He went on to say, “Why is my lord chasing his servant? What have I done? What wrong have I done? ¹  26:19 So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in ²  an offering. But if men have instigated this, ³  may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’ 26:20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge ⁴  in the hill country.”

26:21 Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won’t harm you, for you treated my life with value ⁵  this day. I have behaved foolishly and have made a very terrible mistake!” ⁶ 

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¹ tn Heb “What in my hand [is] evil?”

² tn Heb “may he smell.” The implication is that Saul should seek to appease God, for such divine instigation to evil would a sign of God’s disfavor. For a fuller discussion of this passage see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 19-21.

³ tn Heb “but if the sons of men.”

⁴ tn Heb “the calling [one],” which apparently refers to a partridge.

⁵ tn Heb “my life was valuable in your eyes.”

⁶ tn Heb “and I have erred very greatly.”