1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of the words of the LORD.
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.
2 Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.
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.
3 Now go and strike Amalek and put them and everything that belongs to them under the ban. And do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"
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.
4 Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
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.
5 Saul came to the city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.
And Saul came to the city of 'Amalek, and he fought in the valley.
6 Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, go down from among Amalek, lest I sweep you away with them; for you showed kindness to the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among Amalek.
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.
7 Saul struck Amalek, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt.
And Saul smote the 'Amalekites from Chavilah until thou comest to Shur, that is before Egypt.
8 He took Agag the king of Amalek alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
And he caught Agag the king of the 'Amalekites alive, and all the people he devoted to the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and the cattle, and the fat ones and the lambs, and all that was good, and wouldn't utterly destroy them; but everything that was despised and rejected, that they utterly destroyed.
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.
10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,
And the word of the Lord came unto Samuel, saying,
11 "It grieves me that I have made Saul king; for he has turned back from following me, and has not carried out my commandments." And Samuel was angry; and he cried to the LORD all night.
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.
12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and look, he set up a monument for himself, and turned, and passed on, and went down to Gilgal." And Samuel came to Saul, and look, he was offering up a burnt offering to the LORD, the best of the spoils which he had brought from Amalek.
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.
13 And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, "You are blessed by the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD."
And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou unto the Lord, I have performed the word of the Lord.
14 Samuel said, "Then what does this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle which I hear mean?"
And Samuel said, What is then this bleating of the flocks in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul said, "I have brought them from Amalek; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and I have utterly destroyed the rest."
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.
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stay, and I will tell you what the LORD has said to me last night." He said to him, "Say on."
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.
17 Samuel said, "Though you were little in your own sight, weren't you made the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel;
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?
18 and the LORD sent you on a journey, and said to you, 'Go, and utterly destroy those sinners, Amalek, and fight against them until you have destroyed them.'
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.
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but took the spoils, and did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD?"
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?
20 Saul said to Samuel, "But 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 Amalek.
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.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and cattle, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."
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.
22 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Look, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
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.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king."
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.
24 Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and your words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
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.
25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD."
And now, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may prostrate myself to the Lord.
26 Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."
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.
27 As Samuel turned about to go away, he grabbed the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
And Samuel turned about to go: and he laid hold on the corner of his mantle, and it was rent.
28 Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.
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.
29 And also the Eternal One of Israel will not retract or change his mind; for he is not a man that he should change his mind."
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.
30 Then he said, "I have sinned: yet please honor me now before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and come back with me, that I may worship the LORD your God."
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.
31 So Samuel went back with Saul; and he worshiped the LORD.
So Samuel returned, following Saul; and Saul prostrated himself to the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, "Bring here to me Agag the king of Amalek." And Agag came to him trembling. And Agag said, "Surely death is bitter."
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.
33 Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women." Samuel cut Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
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.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah.
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house at Gib'ah of Saul.
35 And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul. And the LORD grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.
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.
