1 Afterward Samuel said vnto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee King ouer his people, ouer Israel: nowe therefore obey the voyce of the wordes of the Lord. 2 Thus saith the Lord of hostes, I remember what Amalek did to Israel, howe they laide waite for the in ye way, as they came vp from Egypt. 3 Nowe therefore goe, and sinite Amalek, and destroy ye all that perteyneth vnto them, and haue no compassion on them, but slay both man and woman, both infant and suckling, both oxe, and sheepe, both camell, and asse. 4 And Saul assembled ye people, and nombred them in Telaim, two hundreth thousande footemen, and ten thousand men of Iudah. 5 And Saul came to a citie of Amalek, and set watch at the riuer. 6 And Saul said vnto the Kenites, Goe, depart, and get you downe from among the Amalekites, least I destroy you with them: for ye shewed mercie to all the children of Israel, when they came vp from Egypt: and the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 So Saul smote the Amalekites from Hauilah as thou commest to Shur, that is before Egypt, 8 And tooke Agag the King of the Amalekites aliue, and destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the better sheepe, and the oxen, and the fat beasts, and the lambes, and all that was good, and they would not destroy them: but euery thing that was vile and nought worth, that they destroyed. 10 Then came the worde of the Lord vnto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I haue made Saul King: for he is turned from me, and hath not performed my commandements. And Samuel was mooued, and cryed vnto the Lord all night. 12 And when Samuel arose early to meete Saul in the morning, one tolde Samuel, saying, Saul is gone to Carmel: and beholde, he hath made him there a place, from whence he returned, and departed, and is gone downe to Gilgal. 13 Then Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said vnto him. Blessed be thou of the Lord, I haue fulfilled the commandement of the Lord. 14 But Samuel saide, What meaneth then the bleating of the sheepe in mine eares, and the lowing of the oxen which I heare? 15 And Saul answered, They haue brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheepe, and of the oxen to sacrifice them vnto the Lord thy God, and the remnant haue we destroyed. 16 Againe Samuel saide to Saul, Let me tell thee what the Lord hath saide to me this night. And he said vnto him, Say on. 17 Then Samuel saide, When thou wast litle in thine owne sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord anointed thee King ouer Israel. 18 And the Lord sent thee on a iourney, and saide, Goe, and destroy those sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them, vntill thou destroy them. 19 Nowe wherefore hast thou not obeyed the voyce of the Lord, but hast turned to the pray, and hast done wickedly in the sight of the Lord? 20 And Saul saide vnto Samuel, Yea, I haue obeyed the voyce of the Lord, and haue gone the way which the Lord sent me, and haue brought Agag the King of Amalek, and haue destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people tooke of the spoyle, sheepe, and oxen, and the chiefest of the things which shoulde haue bene destroyed, to offer vnto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel saide, Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed? beholde, to obey is better then sacrifice, and to hearken is better then the fatte of rammes. 23 For rebellion is as the sinne of withcraft, and transgression is wickednesse and idolatrie. Because thou hast cast away the worde of the Lord, therefore hee hath cast away thee from being King. 24 Then Saul sayde vnto Samuel, I haue sinned: for I haue transgressed the commandement of the Lord, and thy wordes, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voyce. 25 Nowe therefore I pray thee, take away my sinne, and turne againe with mee, that I may worship the Lord. 26 But Samuel saide vnto Saul, I will not returne with thee: for thou hast cast away the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath cast away thee, that thou shalt not be King ouer Israel. 27 And as Samuel turned himselfe to goe away, he caught the lappe of his coate, and it rent. 28 Then Samuel saide vnto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdome of Israel from thee this day, and hath giuen it to thy neighbour, that is better then thou. 29 For in deede the strength of Israel will not lye nor repent: for hee is not a man that hee should repent. 30 Then he saide, I haue sinned: but honour mee, I pray thee, before the Elders of my people, and before Israel, and turne againe with mee, that I may worship the Lord thy God. 31 So Samuel turned againe, and followed Saul: and Saul worshipped the Lord. 32 Then saide Samuel, Bring yee hither to me Agag ye King of the Amalekites: and Agag came vnto him pleasantly, and Agag saide, Truely the bitternesse of death is passed. 33 And Samuel sayde, As thy sworde hath made women childlesse, so shall thy mother bee childelesse among other women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. 34 So Samuel departed to Ramah, and Saul went vp to his house to Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul vntill the day of his death: but Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord repented that hee made Saul King ouer Israel.
War against the Amalekites
1 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one whom the Lord sent to anoint you king of his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord Almighty says. 2 He is going to punish the people of Amalek because their ancestors opposed the Israelites when they were coming from Egypt. 3 Go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Don't leave a thing; kill all the men, women, children, and babies; the cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.”
4 Saul called his forces together and inspected them at Telem: there were 200,000 soldiers from Israel and 10,000 from Judah. 5 Then he and his men went to the city of Amalek and waited in ambush in a dry riverbed. 6 He sent a warning to the Kenites, a people whose ancestors had been kind to the Israelites when they came from Egypt: “Go away and leave the Amalekites, so that I won't kill you along with them.” So the Kenites left.
7 Saul defeated the Amalekites, fighting all the way from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt; 8 he captured King Agag of Amalek alive and killed all the people. 9 But Saul and his men spared Agag's life and did not kill the best sheep and cattle, the best calves and lambs, or anything else that was good; they destroyed only what was useless or worthless.
Saul Is Rejected as King
10 The Lord said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands.” Samuel was angry, and all night long he pleaded with the Lord. 12 Early the following morning he went off to find Saul. He heard that Saul had gone to the town of Carmel, where he had built a monument to himself, and then had gone on to Gilgal. 13 Samuel went up to Saul, who greeted him, saying, “The Lord bless you, Samuel! I have obeyed the Lord's command.”
14 Samuel asked, “Why, then, do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?”
15 Saul answered, “My men took them from the Amalekites. They kept the best sheep and cattle to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have destroyed completely.”
16 “Stop,” Samuel ordered, “and I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul said.
17 Samuel answered, “Even though you consider yourself of no importance, you are the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king of Israel, 18 and he sent you out with orders to destroy those wicked people of Amalek. He told you to fight until you had killed them all. 19 Why, then, did you not obey him? Why did you rush to grab the loot, and so do what displeases the Lord?”
20 “I did obey the Lord,” Saul replied. “I went out as he told me to, brought back King Agag, and killed all the Amalekites. 21 But my men did not kill the best sheep and cattle that they captured; instead, they brought them here to Gilgal to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord your God.”
22 Samuel said, “Which does the Lord prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him. 23 Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the Lord's command, he has rejected you as king.”
24 “Yes, I have sinned,” Saul replied. “I disobeyed the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted. 25 But now I beg you, forgive my sin and go back with me, so that I can worship the Lord.”
26 “I will not go back with you,” Samuel answered. “You rejected the Lord's command, and he has rejected you as king of Israel.”
27 Then Samuel turned to leave, but Saul caught hold of his cloak, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today and given it to someone who is a better man than you. 29 Israel's majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being—he does not change his mind.”
30 “I have sinned,” Saul replied. “But at least show me respect in front of the leaders of my people and all of Israel. Go back with me so that I can worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel went back with him, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 “Bring King Agag here to me,” Samuel ordered. Agag came to him, trembling with fear, thinking to himself, “What a bitter thing it is to die!” 33 Samuel said, “As your sword has made many mothers childless, so now your mother will become childless.” And he cut Agag to pieces in front of the altar in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and King Saul went home to Gibeah. 35 As long as Samuel lived, he never again saw the king; but he grieved over him. The Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king of Israel.