1 Samuel 15
1 And Samuel says to Saul, “YHWH sent me to anoint you for king over His people, over Israel; and now, listen to the voice of the words of YHWH.
Samuel also said to Saul, the LORD sent me to anoint thee [to be] king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of the LORD.
2 Thus said YHWH of Hosts: I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, that which he laid for him in the way in his going up out of Egypt.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember [that] which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid [wait] for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go, and you have struck Amalek, and devoted all that he has, and you have no pity on him, and have put to death from man to woman, from infant to suckling, from ox to sheep, from camel to donkey.”
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
4 And Saul summons the people, and inspects them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand [are] men of Judah.
And Saul assembled the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul comes to a city of Amalek, and lays wait in a valley;
And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
6 and Saul says to the Kenite, “Go, turn aside, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I consume you with it, and you did kindness with all the sons of Israel, in their going up out of Egypt”; and the Kenite turns aside from the midst of Amalek.
And Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, withdraw yourselves from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up from Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul strikes Amalek from Havilah [to] your going to Shur, which [is] on the front of Egypt,
And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah, [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over against Egypt.
8 and he catches Agag king of Amalek alive, and he has devoted all the people by the mouth of the sword;
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 and Saul has pity—also the people—on Agag, and on the best of the flock, and of the herd, and of the seconds, and on the lambs, and on all that [is] good, and have not been willing to devote them; and all the work, despised and wasted—it they devoted.
But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all [that was] good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing [that was] vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
10 And the word of YHWH is to Samuel, saying,
Then came the word of the LORD to Samuel, saying,
11 “I have regretted that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he has turned back from after Me, and he has not performed My words”; and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he cries to YHWH all the night.
I repent that I have set up Saul [to be] king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried to the LORD all night.
12 And Samuel rises early to meet Saul in the morning, and it is declared to Samuel, saying, “Saul has come to Carmel, and behold, he is setting up a monument to himself, and goes around, and passes over, and goes down to Gilgal.”
And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set him up a place, and has gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
13 And Samuel comes to Saul, and Saul says to him, “Blessed [are] you of YHWH; I have performed the word of YHWH.”
And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
14 And Samuel says, “And what [is] the noise of this flock in my ears—and the noise of the herd which I am hearing?”
And Samuel said, What [meaneth] then this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul says, “They have brought them from Amalek, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to your God YHWH, and we have devoted the remnant.”
And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
16 And Samuel says to Saul, “Desist, and I declare to you that which YHWH has spoken to me tonight”; and he says to him, “Speak.”
Then Samuel said to Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said to him, Say on.
17 And Samuel says, “Are you not, if you [are] little in your own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? And YHWH anoints you for king over Israel,
And Samuel said, When thou [wast] little in thy own sight, [wast] thou not [made] the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
18 and YHWH sends you in the way, and says, Go, and you have devoted the sinners, the Amalekite, and fought against them until they are consumed;
And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.
19 and why have you not listened to the voice of YHWH—and fly to the spoil, and do evil in the eyes of YHWH?”
Why then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
20 And Saul says to Samuel, “Because—I have listened to the voice of YHWH, and I go in the way which YHWH has sent me, and bring in Agag king of Amalek, and I have devoted Amalek;
And Saul said to Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 and the people take of the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for sacrifice to your God YHWH in Gilgal.”
But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel says, “Has YHWH had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as [in] listening to the voice of YHWH? Behold, listening is better than sacrifice; to give attention than fat of rams;
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 for rebellion [is as] a sin of divination, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and teraphim; because you have rejected the word of YHWH, He also rejects you from [being] king.”
For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.
24 And Saul says to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I passed over the command of YHWH, and your words; because I have feared the people, I also listen to their voice;
And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words; because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 and now, please bear with my sin, and return with me, and I bow myself to YHWH.”
Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
26 And Samuel says to Saul, “I do not return with you; for you have rejected the word of YHWH, and YHWH rejects you from being king over Israel.”
And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
27 And Samuel turns around to go, and he lays hold on the skirt of his upper robe—and it is torn!
And as Samuel turned about to depart, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
28 And Samuel says to him, “YHWH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and given it to your neighbor who is better than you;
And Samuel said to him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, [that is] better than thou.
29 and also, the Preeminence of Israel does not lie nor relent, for He [is] not a man that He should relent.”
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he [is] not a man, that he should repent.
30 And he says, “I have sinned; now please honor me before [the] elderly of my people and before Israel, and return with me; and I have bowed myself to your God YHWH.”
Then he said, I have sinned: [yet] honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
31 And Samuel turns back after Saul, and Saul bows himself to YHWH;
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshiped the LORD.
32 and Samuel says, “Bring Agag king of Amalek to me,” and Agag comes to him daintily, and Agag says, “Surely the bitterness of death has turned aside.”
Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
33 And Samuel says, “As your sword bereaved women—so is your mother bereaved above women”; and Samuel hews Agag in pieces before YHWH in Gilgal.
And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
34 And Samuel goes to Ramath, and Saul has gone to his house—to Gibeah of Saul.
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel has not added to see Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and YHWH regretted that He had caused Saul to reign over Israel.
And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
