1 Samuel 26:18
And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand? And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?
Saul was still hunting David after slaughtering the priests of the Lord, when Abiathar son of Ahimelech had escaped and fled to David and David had promised him safeguard, and when David found no place of rest or security. The question was spoken from the top of a hill at a safe distance after David had spared Saul's life in the camp, after he had rebuked Abner for failing to guard the king and proved his mercy by holding the spear and water cruse, and after Saul had recognized David's voice. It is David's protest of innocence and request to be heard, asking why the king pursues his servant and what wrong he has done.
The question expresses respect for the sovereign's life and kindness toward a persecutor. The appeal astonishes and subdues Saul and draws from him a deeper, more humble acknowledgment of fault than before. Despite Saul's promise to do him no more harm, David wisely does not trust it and does not place himself in Saul's power, expecting the repentant frame to be short-lived.