1 Samuel 15
1 And Samuel said unto Saul, Me did the Lord send to anoint thee as king over his people, over Israel; and now hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.
Samuel told Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king of his people Israel. So now pay attention to what the Lord has to say.
2 Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he lay in wait for him on the way, when he came up from Egypt.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: I observed what the Amalekites did to Israel when they ambushed them on their way from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite 'Amalek, and devote all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and lamb, camel and ass.
Go and attack the Amalekites and exterminate all of them. Don't spare anyone, but kill every man, woman, child, and baby; every ox, sheep, camel, and donkey.”
4 And Saul ordered the people to assemble, and he numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand of the men of Judah.
Saul called up his army at Telem. There were 200,000 Israelite infantry and 10,000 men from Judah.
5 And Saul came to the city of 'Amalek, and he fought in the valley.
Saul advanced on the town of Amalek and set up an ambush in the valley.
6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from the midst of the 'Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; whereas ye acted kindly with all the children of Israel, at their coming up out of Egypt. And the Kenites departed from the midst of the 'Amalekites.
Saul sent a message to warn the Kenites, “Move out of the area and leave the Amalekites so that I don't destroy you with them, because you showed kindness to all the people of Israel on their way from Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away and left the Amalekites.
7 And Saul smote the 'Amalekites from Chavilah until thou comest to Shur, that is before Egypt.
Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, to the east of Egypt.
8 And he caught Agag the king of the 'Amalekites alive, and all the people he devoted to the edge of the sword.
He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive, but exterminated all the people by the sword.
9 But Saul together with the people had pity on Agag, and on the best of the flocks, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the fat lambs, and all that was good, and they would not destroy them; but all the cattle that was of little value and weak, that they destroyed.
Saul and his army spared Agag, together with the best sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and everything else that was any good. They didn't want to destroy those, but they completely destroyed all that was unwanted and worthless.
10 And the word of the Lord came unto Samuel, saying,
The Lord sent a message to Samuel, saying,
11 I repent that I have set up Saul as king; for he hath turned back from following me, and my word hath he not performed: and it displeased Samuel, and he cried unto the Lord all the night.
“I'm sorry I made Saul king, for he has given up following me and hasn't done as I ordered.” Samuel was upset, and he cried out to the Lord all through the night.
12 And Samuel rose up early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told to Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set himself up a monument, and then went about, and passed on, and went down to Gilgal.
Samuel got up early in the morning and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul's gone to Carmel. There he's even erected a monument to honor himself, and now he's left and gone down to Gilgal.”
13 And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou unto the Lord, I have performed the word of the Lord.
When Samuel caught up with him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have done what the Lord ordered.”
14 And Samuel said, What is then this bleating of the flocks in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
“So what's this bleating of sheep my ears are picking up? What's this lowing of cattle that I'm hearing?” Samuel asked.
15 And Saul said, From the 'Amalekites have they brought them; because the people had pity on the best of the flocks and of the oxen, in order to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest have we destroyed.
“The army brought them from the Amalekites,” Saul replied. “They spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we completely destroyed the rest.”
16 And Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord said to me this night: and he said unto him, Speak.
“Oh, be quiet!” Samuel told Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord told me last night.” “Tell me what he said,” Saul replied.
17 And Samuel said, Is it not that, however little thou wast in thy own eyes, thou art the head of the tribes of Israel? and the Lord anointed thee as king over Israel?
“Once you didn't use to think much of yourself, but haven't you become the leader of the tribes of Israel?” Samuel asked. “The Lord anointed you king of Israel.
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and destroy the sinners, the 'Amalekites, and thou shalt fight against them until they be consumed.
Then he sent you out to do something, telling you, ‘Go and exterminate those sinners, the Amalekites. Attack them until they're all destroyed.’
19 Wherefore then didst thou not hearken unto the voice of the Lord, and didst fly upon the spoil, and didst the evil in the eyes of the Lord?
Why didn't you do what the Lord ordered? Why did you swoop down on the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord's sight?”
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have fully hearkened unto the voice of the Lord; and I went on the way which the Lord had sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of 'Amalek; and the 'Amalekites have I destroyed.
“But I did do what the Lord ordered!” Saul replied. “I went and did what the Lord sent me to do. I brought back Agag, king of Amalek, and completely destroyed the Amalekites.
21 And the people took of the spoil, of the flocks and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
The army took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was consecrated to God, to sacrifice them to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as much delight in burnt-offerings and in sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to attend more than the fat of the rams.
“Does the Lord prefer burnt offerings and sacrifices, or obedience to what he says?” Samuel asked. “Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice. Paying attention is more important than offering the fat of rams.
23 For the sin of witchcraft is rebellion, and idolatry and image-worship, stubbornness; inasmuch as thou hast despised the word of the Lord, he hath also despised thee that thou shalt not be king.
Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as bad as the sin of idolatry. Because you have rejected the Lord's commands, he has rejected you as king.”
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the will of the Lord, and thy words; because I feared the people, and I hearkened to their voice.
“I have sinned,” Saul confessed to Samuel. “I disobeyed the Lord's orders and your instructions, because I was afraid of the people and followed what they said.
25 And now, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may prostrate myself to the Lord.
So please forgive my sin and come back with me, so I can worship the Lord.”
26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou didst despise the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath despised thee, that thou shalt not be king over Israel.
But Samuel told him, “I'm not going back with you. You have rejected the Lord's orders, and the Lord has rejected you as king of Israel!”
27 And Samuel turned about to go: and he laid hold on the corner of his mantle, and it was rent.
As Samuel turned away to leave, Saul grabbed hold of the hem of his robe, and it ripped.
28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from off thee this day, and hath given it to thy associate, who is better than thou.
Samuel said to him, “The Lord has ripped the kingdom of Israel away from you today and has given it to your neighbor—someone who is better than you!
29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.
In addition, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind!”
30 And he said, I have sinned; [yet] honor me now, I pray thee, in the presence of the elders of my people, and in the presence of Israel, and return with me, that I may prostrate myself unto the Lord thy God.
“Yes, I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel—come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.”
31 So Samuel returned, following Saul; and Saul prostrated himself to the Lord.
So Samuel went back with Saul after all, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 And Samuel said, Bring ye hither unto me Agag the king of the 'Amalekites: and Agag came unto him cheerfully; and Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him confidently, for he thought, “The threat of death of being killed must have passed.”
33 And Samuel said, As thy sword did make women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women; and Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
But Samuel said, “In the same way that your sword has made women childless, so too your mother will be childless among women.” Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house at Gib'ah of Saul.
Samuel left for Ramah, and Saul went home to Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel did not see Saul any more until the day of his death; because Samuel mourned for Saul; and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Until the day of his death, Samuel never visited Saul again. Samuel mourned over Saul, and the Lord regretted he had made Saul the king of Israel.
