Chapter 15

Saul’s Disobedience

1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “aThe Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the 1words of the Lord.

2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will 1punish Amalek afor what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.

3 ‘Now go and strike Amalek and autterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but bput to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

4 Then Saul summoned the people and 1numbered them in aTelaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.

5 Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

6 Saul said to athe Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for byou showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7 So aSaul 1defeated the Amalekites, from bHavilah as you go to cShur, which is 2east of Egypt.

8 He captured aAgag the king of the Amalekites alive, and butterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

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

Samuel Rebukes Saul

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

11 “aI regret that I have made Saul king, for bhe has turned back from 1following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and ccried out to the Lord all night.

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

13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “aBlessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.”

14 But Samuel said, “aWhat then is this 1bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the 1lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for athe people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

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

17 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 the Lord anointed you king over Israel,

18 and the Lord sent you on a 1mission, and said, ‘aGo and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’

19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, abut rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “aI did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the 1mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

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

22 Samuel said,

“aHas the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

As in obeying the voice of the Lord?

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 biniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

cHe has also rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “aI have sinned; bI have indeed transgressed the 1command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.

25 “Now therefore, aplease pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”

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

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

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

29 “Also the 1aGlory of Israel bwill not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

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

31 So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him 1cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

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

34 Then Samuel went to aRamah, but Saul went up to his house at bGibeah of Saul.

35 aSamuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel bgrieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.