¹⁷ So Samuel said, ^(A)“When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?

²¹ And Saul answered and said, ^(A)“Am I not a Benjamite, of the ^(B)smallest of the tribes of Israel, and ^(C)my family the least of all the families of the ^[a]tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?”

Saul Spares King Agag

15 Samuel also said to Saul, ^(A)“The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. ² Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, ^(B)how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. ³ Now go and ^(C)attack^[a] Amalek, and ^(D)utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

²² Therefore they ^(A)inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

10 Then ^(A)Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, ^(B)and kissed him and said: “Is it not because ^(C)the Lord has anointed you commander over ^(D)His ^[a]inheritance?

^4 (A)Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Relentless Judgment on Israel

¹⁵ So he said to Him, “O ^[a]my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed ^(A)my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”