1Sa 15 | NASB1995 | STEP | Then Samuel said to Saul , “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people , over Israel ; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord .

‏ 1 Samuel 15

Saul’s Disobedience

1 Then Samuel said to Saul, ^a“The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the ^{▼▼ Lit sound of the words}words of the Lord. 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will ^{▼▼ Or visit}punish Amalek ^d for 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 ^eutterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but ^fput to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

4 Then Saul summoned the people and ^{▼▼ Lit mustered}numbered them in ^hTelaim, 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 ⁱthe Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for ^jyou showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 So ^kSaul ^{▼▼ Lit smote}defeated the Amalekites, from ^mHavilah as you go to ⁿShur, which is ^{▼▼ Lit before}east of Egypt. 8 He captured ^pAgag the king of the Amalekites alive, and ^qutterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people ^rspared 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 ^s“I regret that I have made Saul king, for ^the has turned back from ^{▼▼ Lit after}following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and ^vcried 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 ^wCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on ^{▼▼ Lit and went down}down to ^yGilgal.” 13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, ^z“Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, ^aa“What then is this ^{▼▼ Lit sound}bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the ^{▼▼ Lit sound}lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for ^adthe 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, ^aethough 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 ^{▼▼ Lit way}mission, and said, ‘ ^agGo 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, ^ahbut rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, ^ai“I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the ^{▼▼ Lit way}mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 “But ^akthe 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, ^al“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, ^amto obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 “For rebellion is as the sin of ^andivination,
And insubordination is as ^aoiniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
^apHe has also rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, ^aq“I have sinned; ^arI have indeed transgressed the ^{▼▼ Lit mouth}command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. 25 “Now therefore, ^atplease 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 ^auyou have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 As Samuel turned to go, ^av Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, ^aw“The 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 ^{▼▼ Or Eminence
,} ^ayGlory of Israel ^azwill 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; ^ba but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, ^bbthat 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 ^{▼▼ Or in bonds}cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 But Samuel said, ^bd“As 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 ^beRamah, but Saul went up to his house at ^bfGibeah of Saul. 35 ^bgSamuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel ^bhgrieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.