15 And David said to Abner, Art not thou a man? And who is there like unto thee in Israel? Why then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king thy lord.
16 This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord lives, ye are worthy to die because ye have not kept your master, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the cruse of water that was at his head.
17 And Saul knew David’s voice and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.
18 And he said, Why does my lord thus pursue after his slave? What have I done? What evil is in my hand?
19 Now, therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his slave. If the Lord has stirred thee up against me, let him smell the fragrance of an offering, but if they were the sons of men, let them be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day from joining myself to the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods.
20 Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord, for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains.
21 Then Saul said, I have sinned; return, my son David; for I will do no more harm unto thee because my life was precious in thine eyes today. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly.