1 Samuel 15:8–33

⁸And he seized ^aAgag the king of the Amalekites alive and ^bdevoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.

⁹But Saul and the people ^aspared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and they were not willing to devote them to destruction; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Yahweh Regrets He Made Saul King

¹⁰Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying,

¹¹“^aI regret that I have made Saul king, for ^bhe has turned back from ¹following Me and has not established My words.” And Samuel became angry and ^ccried out to Yahweh all night.

¹²Then Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to ^aCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on ¹down to ^bGilgal.”

¹³And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “^aBlessed are you of Yahweh! I have established the word of Yahweh.”

¹⁴But Samuel said, “^aWhat then is this sound of the sheep in my ears and the sound of the oxen which I am hearing?”

¹⁵And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for ^athe people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God; but the rest we have devoted to destruction.”

¹⁶Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what Yahweh spoke to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

¹⁷And Samuel said, “Is it not true, ^athough you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Yahweh anointed you king over Israel,

¹⁸and Yahweh sent you on a ¹mission and said, ‘^aGo and devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’

¹⁹“Why then did you not ¹obey the voice of Yahweh, ^abut rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh?”

²⁰Then Saul said to Samuel, “^aI did ¹obey the voice of Yahweh and went on the way on which Yahweh sent me and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek and have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.

²¹“But ^athe people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.”

²²And Samuel said,

“^aHas Yahweh as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

As in obeying the voice of Yahweh?

Behold, ^bto obey is better than sacrifice,

And to heed than the fat of rams.

²³“For rebellion is as the sin of ^adivination,

And insubordination is as ^bwickedness and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh,

^cHe has also rejected you from being king.”

²⁴Then Saul said to Samuel, “^aI have sinned; ^bI have indeed trespassed against the ¹command of Yahweh and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

²⁵“So now, ^aplease forgive my sin and return with me, that I may worship Yahweh.”

²⁶But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for ^ayou have rejected the word of Yahweh, and Yahweh has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

²⁷Then Samuel turned to go, but ^aSaul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.

²⁸So Samuel said to him, “^aYahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.

²⁹“Also the ^aEternal One of Israel ^bwill not lie or have regret; for He is not a man that He should have regret.”

³⁰Then he said, “I have sinned; ^abut please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, ^bthat I may worship Yahweh your God.”

³¹So Samuel returned, following after Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.

³²Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag near to me, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him ¹in chains. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death has departed.”

³³But Samuel said, “^aAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before Yahweh at Gilgal.