1 Samuel 15-16

Evangelical Heritage Version

Saul Is Rejected

15 Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you to be king over his people Israel. Therefore, listen to the voice of the Lord. ² This is what the Lord of Armies says. I will repay Amalek for what they did to Israel when they blocked Israel’s way as it was coming up out of Egypt. ³ Go and strike Amalek. Devote everything they have to destruction. Do not spare them. Kill both men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.”

⁴ So Saul summoned the troops and organized them for battle at Telaim. There were two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. ⁵ Then Saul came to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the ravine. ⁶ Saul said to the Kenites, “Go! Leave! Get away from the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them, because you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

⁷ Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, which borders Egypt. ⁸ He took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive, and he devoted all the people to destruction with the edge of the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the cattle, the fattened calves, and the lambs, along with everything else that was good, because they were not willing to devote them to destruction. But everything that was undesirable and worthless, that they devoted to destruction.

¹⁰ Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ¹¹ “I regret^[a] that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following me, and he has not carried out my words.” Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.

¹² Samuel got up to meet Saul early in the morning, but Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel, and he set up a monument for himself there. Then he turned and continued down to Gilgal.”

⎣So Samuel went to Saul, and there he saw Saul, offering a burnt offering to the Lord from the best of the spoils that he had brought from the Amalekites.⎦^[b]

¹³ When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “You are blessed by the Lord! I have carried out the word of the Lord.”

¹⁴ Samuel said, “Then what does this mean—this bleating of sheep in my ears and the lowing of cattle that I hear?”

¹⁵ Saul said, “They have been brought here from the Amalekites, because the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God. But we have completely destroyed the rest.”

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

He said to him, “Tell me.”

¹⁷ Samuel said, “Though you were insignificant in your own sight, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king over Israel. ¹⁸ Then the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go and devote the Amalekites, that sinful people, to destruction. Fight against them until they are exterminated.’ ¹⁹ Why didn’t you listen to the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”

²⁰ Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have completed the mission that the Lord gave me. I have captured Agag king of Amalek, and I have completely destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹ But the people took some of the plunder: sheep, cattle, and the best of what was devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

²² Samuel said, “Does the Lord take as much pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Know this! To obey is better than sacrifice, and to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. ²³ For rebellion is the same as the sin of witchcraft, and arrogance is like having useless idols or consulting household gods. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you as king.”

²⁴ Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed against the command^[c] of the Lord, as well as against your words, because I was afraid of the people, so I listened to their voice. ²⁵ But now, please pardon my sin and come back with me again, so that I may worship the Lord.”

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

²⁷ As Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed the edge of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today, and he has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. ²⁹ The Splendor of Israel will not lie or change his mind, because he is not a man, who changes his mind.”

³⁰ Then Saul said, “I have sinned, but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” ³¹ So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshipped the Lord.

³² Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites here to me!”

Agag came to him confidently. He said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”^[d]

³³ Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women!” Then Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

³⁴ Samuel then went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ Until the day of his death, Samuel never again came to see Saul. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

David Is Chosen as King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I see a king for myself among his sons.”

² Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the person that I point out to you.”

⁴ So Samuel did what the Lord had told him to do and went to Bethlehem. Trembling with fear, the elders of the city came to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?”

⁵ He said, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, “Certainly this is the Lord’s anointed.”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, because I have rejected him. For the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

⁹ Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” ¹¹ Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?”

Jesse said, “There still is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him, for we cannot sit down to eat until he comes.”

¹² He sent for him and brought him in. David had red hair^[e] and striking eyes, and was good-looking. The Lord said, “Get up! Anoint him, because this is the one.”

¹³ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed on David with power from that day forward. After that Samuel set out and returned to Ramah.

David and Saul Meet

¹⁴ The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil^[f] spirit from the Lord tormented him.

¹⁵ So Saul’s servants said to him, “Please listen to us. An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Our lord, please command your servants who are here with you to seek out a man who is skilled at playing the lyre. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play the lyre,^[g] and you will feel better.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Find a man who can play well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ Then one of the young attendants replied, “As a matter of fact, I have seen a son of Jesse from Bethlehem who is a skillful player. He is a strong, brave man, fit for war. He shows good judgment in what he says and is a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.”

¹⁹ So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”

²⁰ Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul. ²¹ David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul loved him, and David became his armor bearer. ²² So Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Permit David to remain and serve me, for I am very pleased with him.” ²³ Whenever the spirit from God came over Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul would be soothed and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.