1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel. Now listen to the words of Yahweh.
And Samuel said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over Israel: and now hear the voice of the Lord.
2 This is what Yahweh of hosts says, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up from Egypt.
Thus said the Lord of hosts, Now will I take vengeance for what Amalec did to Israel, when he met him in the way as he came up out of Egypt.
3 Now go and attack Amalek and completely destroy all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'”
And now go, and you shall strike Amalec and Hierim and all that belongs to him, and you shall not save anything of him alive, but you shall utterly destroy him: and you shall devote him and all his to [destruction], and you shall spare nothing belonging to him; and you shall kill both man and woman, and infant and suckling, and calf and sheep, and camel and ass.
4 Saul summoned the people and numbered them at the city of Telaim—two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah.
And Saul summoned the people, and he numbered them in Galgala, four hundred thousand regular troops, and Juda thirty thousand regular troops.
5 Then Saul came to the city of Amalek and waited in the valley.
And Saul came to the cities of Amalec, and laid wait in the valley.
6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, come out from among the Amalekites, so I do not destroy you along with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel, when they came from Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
And Saul said to the Kinite, Go, and depart out of the midst of the Amalekites, lest I put you with them; for you dealt mercifully with the children of Israel when they went up out of Egypt. So the Kinite departed from the midst of Amalec.
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
And Saul struck Amalec from Evilat to Sur fronting Egypt.
8 Then he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive; he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
And he took Agag the king of Amalec alive, and he killed all the people and Hierim with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, as well as the best of the sheep, oxen, fattened calves, and the lambs. Everything that was good, they did not destroy. But they completely destroyed anything that was despised and worthless.
And Saul and all the people saved Agag alive, and the best of the flocks, and of the herds, and of the fruits, of the vineyards, and of all the good things; and they would not destroy them: but every worthless and refuse thing they destroyed.
10 Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
11 “It grieves me that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” Samuel was angry; he cried out to Yahweh all night.
I have repented that I have made Saul to be king: for he has turned back from following me, and has not kept my word. And Samuel was grieved, and cried to the Lord all night.
12 Samuel got up early to meet Saul in the morning. Samuel was told, “Saul came to Carmel and he set up a monument to himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”
And Samuel rose early and went to meet Israel in the morning, and it was told Saul, saying, Samuel has come to Carmel, and he has raised up help for himself: and he turned his chariot, and came down to Galgala to Saul; and, behold, he was offering up a whole burnt offering to the Lord, the chief of the spoils which he brought out of Amalec.
13 Then Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you by Yahweh! I have fulfilled the command of Yahweh.”
And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, Blessed [are] you of the Lord: I have performed all that the Lord said.
14 Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”
And Samuel said, What then [is] the bleating of this flock in my ears, and the sound of the oxen which I hear?
15 Saul replied, “They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God. The rest we have completely destroyed.”
And Saul said, I have brought them out of Amalec, that which the people preserved, even the best of the sheep, and of the cattle, that it might be sacrificed to the Lord your God, and the rest have I utterly destroyed.
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and I will tell you what Yahweh has said to me tonight.” Saul said to him, “Speak!”
And Samuel said to Saul, Stay, and I will tell you what the Lord has said to me this night: and he said to him, Say on.
17 Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel? Then Yahweh anointed you king over Israel,
And Samuel said to Saul, Are you not little in his eyes, [though] a leader of one of the tribes of Israel? and [yet] the Lord anointed you to be king over Israel.
18 and Yahweh sent you on your way and said, 'Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are destroyed.'
And the Lord sent you on a journey, and said to you, Go, and utterly destroy: you shall kill the sinners against me, [even] the Amalekites; and you shall war against them until you have consumed them.
19 Why did you not obey the voice of Yahweh, but instead you seized the booty and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh?”
And why did not you listen to the voice of the Lord, but did haste to fasten upon the spoils, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord?
20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have indeed obeyed the voice of Yahweh, and have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me. I have captured Agag, the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites.
And Saul said to Samuel, Because I listened to the voice of the people: yet I went the way by which the Lord sent me, and I brought Agag the king of Amalec, and I destroyed Amalec.
21 But the people took some of the booty—sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God in Gilgal.”
But the people took of the spoils the best flocks and herds [out] of that which was destroyed, to sacrifice before the Lord our God in Galgal.
22 Samuel replied, “Has Yahweh as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to listen is better than the fat of rams.
And Samuel said, Does the Lord take pleasure in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in hearing the words of the Lord? behold, obedience [is] better than a good sacrifice, and hearkening than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and stubbornness is like wickedness and iniquity. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has also rejected you from being king.”
For sin is [as] divination; idols bring on pain and grief. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also shall reject you from being king over Israel.
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have broken Yahweh's commandment and your words, because I was afraid of the people and obeyed their voice.
And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, in that I have transgressed the word of the Lord and your direction; for I feared the people, and I listened to their voice.
25 Now, please pardon my sin, and return with me so that I may worship Yahweh.”
And now remove, I pray you, my sin, and turn back with me, and I will worship the Lord your God.
26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you; for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and Yahweh has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
And Samuel said to Saul, I will not turn back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord will reject you from being king over Israel.
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul took hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore.
And Samuel turned his face to depart, and Saul caught hold of the skirt of his garment, and tore it.
28 Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a neighbor of yours, one who is better than you.
And Samuel said to him, The Lord has tore your kingdom from Israel out of your hand this day, and will give it to your neighbor who is better than you.
29 Also, the Strength of Israel will not lie nor change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
And Israel shall be divided to two: and [God] will not turn nor repent, for he is not as a man to repent.
30 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. But please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Turn again with me, that I may worship Yahweh your God.”
And Saul said, I have sinned; yet honor me, I pray you, before the elders of Israel, and before my people; and turn back with me, and I will worship the Lord your God.
31 So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.
So Samuel turned back after Saul, and he worshipped the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites here to me.” Agag came to him confined with chains and said, “Surely the bitterness of death has past.”
And Samuel said, Bring me Agag the king of Amalec: and Agag came to him trembling; and Agag said Is death thus bitter?
33 Samuel replied, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces before Yahweh at Gilgal.
And Samuel said to Agag, As your sword has bereaved women of their children, so shall your mother be made childless among women: and Samuel killed Agag before the Lord in Galgal.
34 Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.
And Samuel departed to Armathaim, and Saul went up to his house at Gabaa.
35 Samuel did not see Saul until the day of his death, for he mourned for Saul. Yahweh was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.
And Samuel did not see Saul again till the day of his death, for Samuel mourned after Saul, and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
