1 Samuel 15:8–33

⁸He took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive. He and his men totally destroyed all of Agag’s people with swords.

⁹But Saul and the army spared Agag. They spared the best of the sheep and cattle. They spared the fat calves and lambs. They spared everything that was valuable. They weren’t willing to completely destroy any of those things. But they totally destroyed everything that was worthless and weak.

¹⁰Then the Lord gave Samuel a message. He said, ¹¹“I am very sorry I have made Saul king. He has turned away from me. He has not done what I directed him to do.”

When Samuel heard that, he was troubled. He cried out to the Lord during that whole night.

¹²Early the next morning Samuel got up. He went to see Saul. But Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel. There he set up a monument in his own honor. Now he has gone on down to Gilgal.”

¹³When Samuel got there, Saul said, “May the Lord bless you. I’ve done what he directed me to do.”

¹⁴But Samuel said, “Then why do I hear the baaing of sheep? Why do I hear the mooing of cattle?”

¹⁵Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites. They spared the best of the sheep and cattle. They did it to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. But we totally destroyed everything else.”

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

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

¹⁷Samuel said, “There was a time when you didn’t think you were important. But you became the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you to be king over Israel. ¹⁸He sent you to do something for him. He said, ‘Go and set the Amalekites apart. Set those sinful people apart to me in a special way to be destroyed. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’

¹⁹“Why didn’t you obey the Lord? Why did you grab what you had taken from your enemies? Why did you do what is evil in the sight of the Lord?”

²⁰“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went to do what he sent me to do. I totally destroyed the Amalekites. I brought back Agag, their king.

²¹“The soldiers took sheep and cattle from what had been taken from our enemies. They took the best of what had been set apart to God. They wanted to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

²²But Samuel replied,

“What pleases the Lord more?

Burnt offerings and sacrifices, or obeying him?

It is better to obey than to offer a sacrifice.

It is better to do what he says than to offer the fat of rams.

²³Refusing to obey him is as sinful as using evil magic.

Being proud is as evil as worshiping statues of gods.

You have refused to do what the Lord told you to do.

So he has refused to have you as king.”

²⁴Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I’ve broken the Lord’s command. I haven’t done what you directed me to do. I was afraid of the people. So I did what they said I should do. ²⁵Now I beg you, forgive my sin. Come back into town with me so I can worship the Lord.”

²⁶But Samuel said to him, “I won’t go back with you. You have refused to do what the Lord told you to do. So he has refused to have you as king over Israel!”

²⁷Samuel turned to leave. But Saul grabbed hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore.

²⁸Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today. He has given it to one of your neighbors. He has given it to someone who is better than you. ²⁹The One who is the Glory of Israel does not lie. He doesn’t change his mind. That’s because he isn’t a mere man. If he were, he might change his mind.”

³⁰Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me in front of the elders of my people and in front of Israel. Come back with me so I can worship the Lord your God.”

³¹So Samuel went back with Saul. And Saul worshiped the Lord.

³²Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.”

Agag wasn’t afraid when he came to Samuel. He thought, “The time for me to be put to death must have passed by now.”

³³But Samuel said,

“Your sword has killed the children of other women.

So the child of your mother will be killed.”

Samuel put Agag to death at Gilgal in the sight of the Lord.