1 Samuel 15:17–33

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.