1 Samuel 15
Lexham English Bible
Israel Defeats the Amalekites
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. So then, listen to the words[a] of Yahweh! 2 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘I have observed what Amalek did to Israel, how he opposed him[b] when he went up from Egypt. 3 So then, go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that is his! You must not spare him, but kill both man and woman, both child and nursing infant, both ox and sheep, both camel and donkey.’”
4 Saul summoned the army and mustered them at Telaim; two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 Then Saul came up to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi.[c] 6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, leave! Withdraw from among the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you with them. You have shown loyal love to all the Israelites[d] when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites left from among the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as one goes to Shur which is east of[e] Egypt. 8 He captured Agag the king of Amalek alive, but all the people he utterly destroyed with the edge[f] of the sword. 9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and the cattle and the second best of the young fatlings and all that was valuable;[g] they were not willing to utterly destroy them. But all the possessions that were despised or worthless, they utterly destroyed.
Samuel Announces the Downfall of Saul
10 Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not kept my word.” Samuel became angry,[h] and he cried out to Yahweh all night. 12 Then Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and look, he is setting up a monument for himself.” Then he turned around and crossed over and went down to Gilgal.
13 When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh.” 14 But Samuel said, “Then what is this bleating of the sheep that I hear in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop and let me tell you what Yahweh said to me last night.” So he said to him, “Speak.”
17 Samuel said, “Even though you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel. 18 When Yahweh sent you on your way, he said to you: ‘Go! You must utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you must fight against them until you[i] have destroyed them.’ 19 Why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh and fall with shouting on the plunder? You have done evil in the sight of Yahweh!” 20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. 21 The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.”
22 Then Samuel said,
“Is there as much delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as there is in obeying[j] Yahweh?
Look! To obey[k] is better than sacrifice;
to give heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination;
arrogance is like iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh,
he has rejected you from being king!”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned because I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh[l] and your words, for I feared the troops and I listened to their voice. 25 So then, please pardon my sin and return with me so that I can worship[m] Yahweh.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!”
27 As Samuel turned around to go, he[n] caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Then Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.[o] 29 Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not break faith and will not regret, for he is not a human that he should regret.” 30 Then he[p] said, “I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me so that I can worship[q] Yahweh your God.” 31 So Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul worshiped[r] Yahweh.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag the king of Amalek out to me!” Agag came to him confidently,[s] for Agag thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is over.”[t]
33 Samuel said,
“Just as your sword bereaved women,
so will your mother be bereaved among women!”
Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces in the presence of Yahweh at Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul again[u] until the day of his death, but Samuel mourned over Saul, and Yahweh regretted that he made Saul king over Israel.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 15:1 Literally “listen to the voice of the words”
- 1 Samuel 15:2 Literally “what he placed against him in the way”
- 1 Samuel 15:5 A valley that is usually dry but contains a stream during the rainy season
- 1 Samuel 15:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Samuel 15:7 Literally “upon the face of”
- 1 Samuel 15:8 Literally “mouth”
- 1 Samuel 15:9 Literally “all the good things”
- 1 Samuel 15:11 Literally “it became hot for Samuel”
- 1 Samuel 15:18 The Masoretic Hebrew text reads “they”; LXX, Peshitta, and Targum read “you”
- 1 Samuel 15:22 Literally “listening to the voice of”
- 1 Samuel 15:22 Literally “Listening”
- 1 Samuel 15:24 Literally “the mouth of Yahweh”
- 1 Samuel 15:25 Literally “so that I can bow down to”
- 1 Samuel 15:27 That is, Saul
- 1 Samuel 15:28 Literally “the better than you”
- 1 Samuel 15:30 That is, Saul
- 1 Samuel 15:30 Literally “so that I can bow down to”
- 1 Samuel 15:31 Literally “bowed down to”
- 1 Samuel 15:32 Or “trembling”; literally “in chains/bonds” (HALOT 609 s.v. 2); the meaning here is uncertain (LXX has “trembling”)
- 1 Samuel 15:32 Literally “has turned aside”; other English versions follow the LXX and Peshitta and omit “has turned aside,” reading “Surely the bitterness of death!”
- 1 Samuel 15:35 Literally “did not add to see Saul”
1 Samuel 15
World English Bible
15 Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of Yahweh’s words. 2 Yahweh of Armies says, ‘I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way when he came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
4 Saul summoned the people, and counted them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 Saul came to the city of Amalek, and set an ambush in the valley. 6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is before Egypt. 8 He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, of the cattle, of the fat calves, of the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to utterly destroy them; but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
10 Then Yahweh’s word came to Samuel, saying, 11 “It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.” Samuel was angry; and he cried to Yahweh all night.
12 Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and Samuel was told, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, turned, passed on, and went down to Gilgal.”
13 Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, “You are blessed by Yahweh! I have performed the commandment of Yahweh.”
14 Samuel said, “Then what does this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the cattle which I hear mean?”
15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the cattle, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God. We have utterly destroyed the rest.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stay, and I will tell you what Yahweh said to me last night.”
He said to him, “Say on.”
17 Samuel said, “Though you were little in your own sight, weren’t you made the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh anointed you king over Israel; 18 and Yahweh sent you on a journey, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then didn’t you obey Yahweh’s voice, but took the plunder, and did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight?”
20 Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed Yahweh’s voice, and have gone the way which Yahweh sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the devoted things, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God in Gilgal.”
22 Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim.[a] Because you have rejected Yahweh’s word, he has also rejected you from being king.”
24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship Yahweh.”
26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected Yahweh’s word, and Yahweh has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 As Samuel turned around to go away, Saul grabbed the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. 29 Also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and come back with me, that I may worship Yahweh your God.”
31 So Samuel went back with Saul; and Saul worshiped Yahweh. 32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites here to me!”
Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women!” Then Samuel cut Agag in pieces before Yahweh in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, but Samuel mourned for Saul. Yahweh grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Footnotes
- 15:23 teraphim were household idols that may have been associated with inheritance rights to the household property.
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