1Sa 15 | NASB2020 | 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, “ ^aThe 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 This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will ^{▼▼Or visit}punish Amalek ^dfor what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and ^ecompletely destroy everything 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}counted them in ^hTelaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ^{▼▼Or valley}wadi. 6 But Saul said to ^jthe Kenites, “Go, get away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for ^kyou showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they went up from Egypt.” So the Kenites got away from among the Amalekites. 7 Then ^lSaul ^{▼▼Lit struck}defeated the Amalekites, from ⁿHavilah ^{▼▼Lit as you go}going toward ^pShur, which is ^{▼▼Lit before}east of Egypt. 8 He captured ^rAgag the king of the Amalekites alive, and ^scompletely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people ^tspared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the more valuable animals, the lambs, and everything that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them completely; but everything despicable and weak, that they completely destroyed.

Samuel Rebukes Saul

10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11 “ ^uI regret that I have made Saul king, because ^vhe has turned back from ^{▼▼Lit after}following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and ^xcried out to the Lord all night. 12 Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was reported to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to ^yCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on ^{▼▼Lit and went down}down to ^aaGilgal.” 13 So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “ ^abBlessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, “ ^acWhat then is this ^{▼▼Lit sound}bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the ^{▼▼Lit sound}bellowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for ^afthe people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and let me inform you of what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

17 So Samuel said, “ ^{▼▼Or Though you were..., did you not become}Is it not true, ^ahthough you were ^{▼▼Lit small}insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the Lord anointed you as king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a ^{▼▼Lit way}mission, and said, ‘ ^akGo and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? ^alInstead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord!”

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “ ^amI did obey the voice of the Lord, for I went on the ^{▼▼Lit way}mission on which the Lord sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But ^aothe people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” 22 Samuel said,

“ ^apDoes the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, ^aqto obey is better than a sacrifice,
And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
23 “For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of ^ardivination,
And insubordination is as reprehensible as ^asfalse religion and idolatry.
Since you have rejected the word of the Lord,
^atHe has also rejected you from being king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “ ^auI have sinned, for ^avI have violated the ^{▼▼Lit mouth}command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. 25 Now then, ^axplease pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for ^ayyou have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 Then Samuel turned to go, but ^azSaul grasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off. 28 So Samuel said to him, “ ^baThe 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 Splendor
,} ^bcGlory of Israel ^bdwill not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.” 30 Then Saul said, “I have sinned; ^bebut please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, ^bfso that 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 chains}cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is gone!” 33 But Samuel said, “ ^bhAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went to ^biRamah, but Saul went up to his house at ^bjGibeah of Saul. 35 And ^bkSamuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel ^blmourned for ^{▼▼I.e., God’s rejection of Saul}Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.