The Lord Rejects Saul

15 And Samuel said to Saul, ^(A)“The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord.

¹⁶ “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, ^(A)and you shall anoint him to be prince^[a] over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. ^(B)For I have seen^[b] my people, because their cry has come to me.”

¹⁴ If you will ^(A)fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.

Saul Anointed King

10 ^(A)Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head ^(B)and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince^[a] over ^(C)his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince^[b] over his heritage.

^12 (A)Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. ^13 (B)Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. ^(C)Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.

¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

¹⁷ And Samuel said, ^(A)“Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. ¹⁸ And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’

¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, ^(A)“You have done foolishly. ^(B)You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.