¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “^(A)It is Yahweh; let Him do what seems good in His eyes.”

¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what Yahweh spoke to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

¹⁷ And Samuel said, “Is it not true, ^(A)though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Yahweh anointed you king over Israel, ¹⁸ and Yahweh sent you on a ^[a]mission and said, ‘^(B)Go and devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ ¹⁹ Why then did you not ^[b]obey the voice of Yahweh, ^(C)but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh?”

²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, “^(D)I did ^[c]obey the voice of Yahweh and went on the way on which Yahweh sent me and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek and have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. ²¹ But ^(E)the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.” ²² And Samuel said,

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “^(K)I have sinned; ^(L)I have indeed trespassed against the ^[d]command of Yahweh and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.