^15:1Then Samuel said to Saul, “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord says.¹^15:2Here is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed² Israel along the way when Israel³ came up from Egypt. ^15:3So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don’t spare⁴ them. Put them to death—man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.’ ”

^15:4So Saul assembled⁵ the army⁶ and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. ^15:5Saul proceeded to the city⁷ of Amalek, where he set an ambush⁸ in the wadi.⁹^15:6Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away¹⁰ with them! After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.

^15:7Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to¹¹ Shur, which is next to Egypt. ^15:8He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people¹² with the sword. ^15:9However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings,¹³ and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value.¹⁴ They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised¹⁵ and worthless.

^15:10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ^15:11“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

^15:12Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was informed, “Saul has gone to Carmel where¹⁶ he is setting up a monument for himself. Then Samuel left¹⁷ and went down to Gilgal.”¹⁸^15:13When Samuel came to him,¹⁹ Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have done what the Lord said.”

^15:14Samuel replied, “If that is the case,²⁰ then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?” ^15:15Saul said, “They were brought²¹ from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God. But everything else we slaughtered.”

^15:16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute!²² Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul²³ said to him, “Tell me.” ^15:17Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose²⁴ you as king over Israel. ^15:18The Lord sent you on a campaign²⁵ saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you²⁶ have destroyed them.’ ^15:19Why haven’t you obeyed²⁷ the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.”²⁸

^15:20Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed²⁹ the Lord! I went on the campaign³⁰ the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. ^15:21But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle—the best of what was to be slaughtered—to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

^15:22Then Samuel said,

“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as he does in obedience?³¹

Certainly,³² obedience³³ is better than sacrifice;

paying attention is better than³⁴ the fat of rams.

^15:23For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

he has rejected you as³⁵ king.”

^15:24Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded³⁶ and what you said as well.³⁷ For I was afraid of the army, and I followed their wishes.³⁸^15:25Now please forgive my sin! Go back with me so I can worship³⁹ the Lord.”

^15:26Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

^15:27When Samuel turned to leave, Saul⁴⁰ grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. ^15:28Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! ^15:29The Preeminent One⁴¹ of Israel does not go back on his word⁴² or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.”⁴³^15:30Saul⁴⁴ again replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the Lord your God.” ^15:31So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

Samuel Puts Agag to Death

^15:32Then Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling,⁴⁵ thinking to himself,⁴⁶ “Surely death is bitter!”⁴⁷^15:33Samuel said, “Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will be the most bereaved among women!” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in Gilgal before the Lord.

^15:34Then Samuel went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. ^15:35Until the day he⁴⁸ died Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Samuel Anoints David as King

^16:1The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel.¹ Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem,² for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.”³

^16:2Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you⁴ and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ^16:3Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out⁵ to you.”

^16:4Samuel did what the Lord told him.⁶ When he arrived in Bethlehem,⁷ the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They⁸ said, “Do you come in peace?” ^16:5He replied, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

^16:6When they arrived, Samuel⁹ noticed¹⁰ Eliab and said to himself,¹¹ “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king!”¹²^16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by¹³ his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do.¹⁴ People look on the outward appearance,¹⁵ but the Lord looks at the heart.”

^16:8Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel.¹⁶ But Samuel¹⁷ said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” ^16:9Then Jesse presented¹⁸ Shammah. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ^16:10Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel.¹⁹ But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” ^16:11Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?” Jesse²⁰ replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.”

^16:12So Jesse had him brought in.²¹ Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one!” ^16:13So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

David Appears before Saul

^16:14Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit²² from the Lord tormented him. ^16:15Then Saul’s servants said to him, “Look, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you!” ^16:16Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre²³ and you will feel better.”²⁴^16:17So Saul said to his servants, “Find²⁵ me a man who plays well and bring him to me.” ^16:18One of his attendants replied,²⁶ “I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem²⁷ who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior²⁸ and is articulate²⁹ and handsome,³⁰ for the Lord is with him.”

^16:19So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is out with the sheep. ^16:20So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat³¹ and sent them to Saul with³² his son David. ^16:21David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul liked him a great deal,³³ and he became his armor bearer. ^16:22Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I really like him.”³⁴

^16:23So whenever the spirit from God would come upon Saul, David would take his lyre and play it. This would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. Then the evil spirit would leave him alone.³⁵

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Footnotes

1 Heb “to the voice of the words of the Lord” (so ).
2 Heb “what Amalek did to Israel, how he placed against him.”
3 Heb “he”; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 Or perhaps “don’t take pity on” (cf. ).
5 Heb “caused the people to hear.”
6 Heb “people.”
7 The has the plural here, “cities.”
8 The translation follows the and which assume a reading וַיָּאָרֶב (vayya’arev, “and he set an ambush,” from the root ארב [’rv] with quiescence of alef) rather than the , which has וַיָּרֶב (vayyareb, “and he contended,” from the root ריב [ryv]).
9 That is, “the dry stream bed.”
10 The translation follows the and which assume a reading אֶסִפְךָ (’esféka, “I sweep you away,” from the root ספה [sfh]) rather than the אֹסִפְךָ (’osiféka, “I am gathering you,” from the root אסף[’sf]).
11 Heb “[as] you enter.”
12 Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.
13 The Hebrew text is difficult here. We should probably read וְהַמַּשְׂמַנִּים (véhammasmannim, “the fat ones”) rather than the וְהַמִּשְׂנִים (véhammisnim, “the second ones”). However, if the is retained, the sense may be as the Jewish commentator Kimchi supposed: the second-born young, thought to be better than the firstlings. (For discussion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, .)
14 Heb “good.”
15 The has here the very odd form נְמִבְזָה (némivzah), but this is apparently due to a scribal error. The translation follows instead the Niphal participle נִבְזָה (nivzah).
16 Heb “and look.”
17 Heb “and he turned and crossed over.”
18 At the end of v. 12 the and one Old Latin include the following words not found in the : “to Saul. And behold, he was offering as a burnt offering to the Lord the best of the spoils that he had brought from the Amalekites.”
19 Heb “to Saul.”
20 The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 Heb “they brought them.”
22 Or perhaps “be quiet.”
23 The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew in reading the singular (“he said”) rather than the plural (“they said”) of the Kethib. Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 Heb “anointed.”
25 Heb “journey.”
26 The translation follows the , the , and the in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the third person plural suffix of the (“they”).
27 Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”
28 Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
29 Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”
30 Heb “journey.”
31 Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the Lord.”
32 Heb “look.”
33 Heb “listening.”
34 The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
35 Or “from [being].”
36 Heb “the mouth of the Lord.”
37 Heb “and your words.”
38 Heb “and I listened to their voice.”
39 Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
40 Heb “he,” but Saul is clearly the referent. A Qumran and the include the name “Saul” here.
41 Heb “splendor,” used here by metonymy as a title for the Lord.
42 Or perhaps “does not lie.”
43 This observation marks the preceding statement (v. 28) as an unconditional, unalterable decree. When God makes such a decree he will not alter it or change his mind. This does not mean that God never deviates from his stated intentions or changes his mind. On the contrary, several passages describe him as changing his mind. In fact, his willingness to do so is one of his fundamental divine attributes (see Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). For a fuller discussion see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Change His Mind?” 152 (1995): .
44 Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 The reading מַעֲדַנֹּת (ma’adannot, literally, “bonds,” used here adverbially, “in bonds”) is difficult. The word is found only here and in Job 38:31. Part of the problem lies in determining the root of the word. Some scholars have taken it to be from the root ענד (’nd, “to bind around”), but this assumes a metathesis of two of the letters of the root. Others take it from the root עדן (’dn) with the meaning “voluptuously,” but this does not seem to fit the context. It seems better to understand the word to be from the root מעד (m’d, “to totter” or “shake”). In that case it describes the fear that Agag experienced in realizing the mortal danger that he faced as he approached Samuel. This is the way that the translators understood the word, rendering it by the Greek participle τρέμον (tremon, “trembling”).
46 Heb “and Agag said.”
47 The text is difficult here. With the , two Old Latin , and the it is probably preferable to delete סָר (sar, “is past”) of the ; it looks suspiciously like a dittograph of the following word מַר (mar, “bitter”). This further affects the interpretation of Agag’s comment. In the he comes to Samuel confidently assured that the danger is over (cf. , , “Surely the bitterness of death is past,” along with , ). However, it seems more likely that Agag realized that his fortunes had suddenly taken a turn for the worse and that the clemency he had enjoyed from Saul would not be his lot from Samuel. The present translation thus understands Agag to approach not confidently but in the stark realization that his death is imminent (“Surely death is bitter!”). Cf. “So it is bitter death!”; “Surely this is the bitterness of death”; “What a bitter thing it is to die!”
48 That is, Samuel.
1 The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”
2 For location see ; ; ; .
3 Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”
4 Heb “in your hand.”
5 Heb “say”; , “name”; “indicate.”
6 Heb “said.”
7 For location see ; ; ; .
8 In the the verb is singular (“he said”), but the translation follows many medieval Hebrew and ancient versions in reading the plural (“they said”).
9 Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 Heb “saw.”
11 Heb “said”; the words “to himself” are implied, given the secrecy surrounding Samuel’s mission to Bethlehem (v. 2).
12 Heb “his anointed one.”
13 Heb “don’t look toward.”
14 Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the , which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (), .
15 Heb “to the eyes.”
16 Heb “and caused him to pass before.”
17 Heb “he” (also in v. 9); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 Heb “caused to pass by.”
19 Heb “caused seven of his sons to pass before Samuel.” This could be taken as referring to seven sons in addition to the three mentioned before this, but 1 Sam 17:12 says Jesse had eight sons, not eleven. 1 Chr 2:13–15 lists only seven sons, including David. However, 1 Chr 27:18 mentions an additional son, named Elihu.
20 Heb “he”; the referent (Jesse) has been specified in the translation both here and in v. 12 for clarity.
21 Heb “and he sent and brought him.”
22 Or “an injurious spirit”; cf. “a tormenting spirit.” The phrase need not refer to an evil, demonic spirit. The Hebrew word translated “evil” may refer to the character of the spirit or to its effect upon Saul. If the latter, another translation option might be “a mischief-making spirit.”
23 Heb “and he will play with his hand.”
24 Heb “and it will be better for you.”
25 Heb “see.”
26 Heb “answered and said.”
27 For location see ; ; ; .
28 Heb “mighty man of valor and a man of war.”
29 Heb “discerning of word.”
30 Heb “a man of form.”
31 Heb “a kid of the goats.”
32 Heb “by the hand of.”
33 Heb “he loved him.”
34 Heb “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.”
35 Heb “would turn aside from upon him.”