1 Samuel 15

SAUL REJECTED AS KING

15Samuel told Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel.^z Now, listen to the words of the Lord. ²This is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘I witnessed^B what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them along the way as they were coming out of Egypt.^{a 3}Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have.^b Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”^c

⁴Then Saul summoned the troops and counted them at Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. ⁵Saul came to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the wadi. ⁶He warned the Kenites,^d “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came out of Egypt,^e go on and leave! Get away from the Amalekites, or I’ll sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites.

⁷Then Saul struck down the Amalekites^f from Havilah^g all the way to Shur,^h which is next to Egypt. ⁸He captured King Agagⁱ of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.^{j 9}Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and choice animals,^C as well as the young rams and the best of everything else. They were not willing to destroy them, but they did destroy all the worthless and unwanted things.

¹⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, ¹¹“I regret that I made Saul king,^k for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions.”^l So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night.^m

¹²Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but it was reported to Samuel, “Saul went to Carmelⁿ where he set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and went down to Gilgal.”^{o 13}When Samuel came to him, Saul said, “May the Lord bless you.^p I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

¹⁴Samuel replied, “Then what is this sound of sheep, goats, and cattle I hear?”

¹⁵Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep, goats, and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to the Lord your God,^q but the rest we destroyed.”^r

¹⁶“Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” he replied.

¹⁷Samuel continued, “Although you once considered yourself unimportant,^s haven’t you become the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel ¹⁸and then sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have annihilated them.’ ¹⁹So why didn’t you obey the Lord? Why did you rush on the plunder^t and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”

²⁰“But I did obey the Lord!” Saul answered.^A “I went on the mission the Lord gave me: I brought back King Agag of Amalek, and I completely destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹The troops took sheep, goats, and cattle from the plunder—the best of what was set apart for destruction—to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”^u

²²Then Samuel said:

Does the Lord^v take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the Lord?

Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,

to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.^w

²³For rebellion is like the sin of divination,^x

and defiance is like wickedness^y and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

he has rejected you as king.^z

²⁴Saul answered Samuel, “I have sinned.^aa I have transgressed the Lord’s command^ab and your words. Because I was afraid of the people, I obeyed them. ²⁵Now therefore, please forgive my sin^ac and return with me so I can worship the Lord.”

²⁶Samuel replied to Saul, “I will not return with you. Because you rejected the word of the Lord,^ad the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” ²⁷When Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the corner of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingship of Israel away from you today^ae and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.^{af 29}Furthermore, the Eternal One of Israel^ag does not lie or change his mind, for he is not man who changes his mind.”^ah

³⁰Saul said, “I have sinned. Please honor me^ai now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me so I can bow in worship to the Lord your God.”^{aj 31}Then Samuel went back, following Saul, and Saul bowed down to the Lord.

³²Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of Amalek.”

Agag came to him trembling,^A for he thought, “Certainly the bitterness of death has come.”^BC

³³Samuel declared:

As your sword has made women childless,

so your mother will be childless among women.^a

Then he hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

³⁴Samuel went to Ramah,^b and Saul went up to his home in Gibeah^c of Saul. ³⁵Even to the day of his death, Samuel never saw Saul again.^d Samuel mourned for Saul,^e and the Lord regretted he had made Saul king over Israel.