Saul’s Disobedience

15 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 [a]words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will [b]punish Amalek (B)for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and (C)completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but (D)put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

Then Saul summoned the people and [c]counted them in (E)Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the [d]wadi. But Saul said to (F)the Kenites, “Go, get away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for (G)you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they went up from Egypt.” So the Kenites got away from among the Amalekites. Then (H)Saul [e]defeated the Amalekites, from (I)Havilah [f]going toward (J)Shur, which is [g]east of Egypt. He captured (K)Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and (L)completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people (M)spared 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 (N)I regret that I have made Saul king, because (O)he has turned back from [h]following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and (P)cried 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 (Q)Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on [i]down to (R)Gilgal.” 13 So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “(S)Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, “(T)What then is this [j]bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the [k]bellowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for (U)the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 15:1 Lit sound of the words
  2. 1 Samuel 15:2 Or visit
  3. 1 Samuel 15:4 Lit mustered
  4. 1 Samuel 15:5 Or valley
  5. 1 Samuel 15:7 Lit struck
  6. 1 Samuel 15:7 Lit as you go
  7. 1 Samuel 15:7 Lit before
  8. 1 Samuel 15:11 Lit after
  9. 1 Samuel 15:12 Lit and went down
  10. 1 Samuel 15:14 Lit sound
  11. 1 Samuel 15:14 Lit sound

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