^18 (A)Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.

⁴² And he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction,^[a] therefore ^(A)your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.’”

^9 (A)But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves^[a] and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

^10 (A)“Cursed is he who does ^(B)the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

¹³ So Saul died ^(A)for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also ^(B)consulted a medium, seeking guidance.

²⁴ Saul said to Samuel, ^(D)“I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. ²⁵ Now therefore, please pardon my sin and ^(E)return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” ²⁶ And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. ^(F)For you have rejected the word of the Lord, ^(G)and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

²⁰ And Saul said to Samuel, ^(A)“I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.

⁹ So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.