15 3 Saul is commanded to slay Amalek. 9 He spareth Agag, and the best things. 19 Samuel reproveth him. 28 Saul is rejected of the Lord, and his Kingdom given to another. 33 Samuel heweth Agag in pieces.

¹ Afterward Samuel said unto Saul, ^(A)The Lord sent me to anoint thee King over his people, over Israel: now therefore ^[a]obey the voice of the words of the Lord.

² Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember what Amalek did to Israel, ^(B)how they laid wait for them in the way, as they came up from Egypt.

³ Now therefore go, and smite Amalek, and destroy ye all that pertaineth unto them, and have no compassion on them, but ^[b]slay both man and woman, both infant and suckling, both ox, and sheep, both camel, and ass.

⁴ ¶ And Saul assembled the people, and ^[c]numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

⁵ And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and ^[d]set watch at the river.

⁶ And Saul said unto the ^[e]Kenites, Go, depart, and get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed ^[f]mercy to all the children of Israel, when they came up from Egypt: and the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

⁷ So Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah, as thou comest to Shur, that is before Egypt,

⁸ And took Agag the King of the Amalekites alive, and destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

⁹ But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the better sheep, and the oxen, and the fat beasts, and the lambs, and all that was good, and they would not destroy them; but everything that was vile and nought worth, that they destroyed.

¹⁰ ¶ Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,

¹¹ It ^[g]repenteth me that I have made Saul King; for he is turned from me, and hath not performed my commandments. And Samuel was moved, and cried unto the Lord all night.

¹² And when Samuel arose early to meet Saul in the morning, one told Samuel, saying, Saul is gone to Carmel; and behold, he hath made him there a place, from whence he returned, and departed, and is gone down to Gilgal.

¹³ ¶ Then Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said unto him. Blessed be thou of the Lord, I have fulfilled the ^[h]commandment of the Lord.

¹⁴ But Samuel said, What meaneth then the bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

¹⁵ And Saul answered, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, to sacrifice them unto the Lord thy God, and the remnant have we destroyed.

¹⁶ Again Samuel said to Saul, Let me tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

¹⁷ Then Samuel said, When thou wast ^[i]little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord anointed thee King over Israel.

¹⁸ And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and destroy those sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them, until thou destroy them.

¹⁹ Now wherefore hast thou not obeyed the voice of the Lord, but hast turned to the prey, and hast done wickedly in the sight of the Lord?

²⁰ And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, ^[j]I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have destroyed the Amalekites.

²¹ But the people took of the spoil, sheep, and oxen, and the chiefest of the things which should have been destroyed, to offer unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.

²² And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as when the voice of the Lord is obeyed? behold, ^(C)to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams.

²³ For ^[k]rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and transgression is wickedness and idolatry. Because thou hast cast away the word of the Lord, therefore he hath cast away thee from being king.

²⁴ Then Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the Commandment of the Lord, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

²⁵ Now therefore I pray thee, take away my ^[l]sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.

²⁶ But Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast cast away the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath cast away thee, that thou shalt not be King over Israel.

²⁷ And as Samuel turned himself to go away, he caught the lap of his coat, and it rent.

²⁸ Then Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to thy ^[m]neighbor, that is better than thou.

²⁹ For indeed the ^[n]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: but honor me, I pray thee, before the Elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.

³¹ ¶ So Samuel turned again, and followed Saul: and Saul worshipped the Lord.

³² Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites: and Agag came unto him ^[o]pleasantly, and Agag said, Truly the ^[p]bitterness of death is passed.

³³ And Samuel said, ^(D)As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among other women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

³⁴ ¶ So Samuel departed to ^[q]Ramah, and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

³⁵ And Samuel came no more to ^[r]see Saul until the day of his death: but Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord ^[s]repented that he made Saul King over Israel.

16 1 Samuel is reproved of God, and is sent to anoint David. 7 God regardeth the heart. 13 The Spirit of the Lord cometh upon David. 14 The wicked Spirit is sent upon Saul. 19 Saul sendeth for David.

¹ The Lord then said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, ^[t]seeing I have cast him away from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil and come, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a King among his sons.

² And Samuel said, How can I go? for if Saul shall hear it, he will kill me. Then the Lord answered, Take an heifer ^[u]with thee, and say, I am come ^[v]to do sacrifice to the Lord.

³ And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

⁴ So Samuel did that the Lord bade him, and came to Bethlehem, and the elders of the town were ^[w]astonished at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

⁵ And he answered, Yea: I am come to do sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

⁶ And when they were come, he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s ^[x]Anointed is before him.

⁷ But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: for God seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord beholdeth the ^(E)heart.

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him come before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah come. And he said, Neither yet hath the Lord chosen him.

¹⁰ Again Jesse made his seven sons to come before Samuel, and Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath chosen none of these.

¹¹ Finally, Samuel said unto Jesse, ^[y]Are there no more children but these? And he said, There remaineth yet a little one behind, that keepeth the sheep. Then Samuel said unto Jesse, ^(F)Send and fet him: for we will not sit down, till he be come hither.

¹² And he sent, and brought him in: and he was ruddy, and of a good countenance, and comely visage. And the Lord said, Arise, and anoint him: for this is he.

¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren. And the ^(G)Spirit of the Lord ^[z]came upon David, from that day forward: then Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

¹⁴ ¶ But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an ^[aa]evil spirit sent of the Lord, vexed him.

¹⁵ And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, the evil spirit of God vexeth thee.

¹⁶ Let our Lord therefore command thy servants that are before thee, to seek a man that is a cunning player upon the harp: that when the evil spirit of God cometh upon thee, he may play with his hand, and thou mayest be eased.

¹⁷ Saul then said unto his servants, Provide me a man, I pray you, that can play well, and bring him to me.

¹⁸ Then answered one of his servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a ^[ab]son of Jesse, a Bethlehemite, that can play, and is strong, valiant, and a man of war, and wise in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.

¹⁹ ¶ Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

²⁰ And Jesse took an ass laden with bread and a flagon of wine and a kid, and sent them by the hand of David his son unto Saul.

²¹ And David came to Saul, and ^[ac]stood before him: and he loved him very well, and he was his armor bearer.

²² And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David now remain with me: for he hath found favor in my sight.

²³ And so when the evil spirit of God came upon Saul, David took an harp and played with his hand, and Saul was ^[ad]refreshed and was eased: for the evil spirit departed from him.

²⁵ ¶ ^(A)[a]Then behold, ^[b]a certain Lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

²⁶ And he said unto him, What is written in the Law? how readest thou?

²⁷ And he answered and said, ^(B)Thou shalt love thy Lord God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy thought, ^(C)and thy neighbor as thyself.

²⁸ Then he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

^29 [c]But he willing to ^[d]justify himself, said unto Jesus, Who is then my neighbor?

³⁰ And Jesus answered, and said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, and they robbed him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

³¹ Now so it fell out, that there came down a certain Priest that same way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

³² And likewise also a Levite, when he was come near to the place, went and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

³³ Then a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came near unto him, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

³⁴ And went to him, and bound up his wounds and poured in oil and wine, and put him on his own beast, and brought him to an Inn, and made provision for him.

³⁵ And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will recompense thee.

³⁶ Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?

³⁷ And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

³⁸ ¶ ^[e]Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain town, and a certain woman named Martha, received him into her house.

³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his preaching.

⁴⁰ But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Master, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore, that she help me.

⁴¹ And Jesus answered, and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou carest, and art troubled about many things:

⁴² But one thing is needful, Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Read full chapter