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1 Samuel 15:10-31
New English Translation

10 Then the Lord’s message came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was informed, “Saul has gone to Carmel where[a] he is setting up a monument for himself.” Then Samuel left[b] and went down to Gilgal.[c] 13 When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have fulfilled the Lord’s orders.”[d]

14 Samuel replied, “If that is the case,[e] then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They were brought[f] from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God. But everything else we slaughtered.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute![g] Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul[h] said to him, “Tell me.” 17 Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose[i] you as king over Israel. 18 The Lord sent you on a campaign[j] saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you[k] have destroyed them.’ 19 Why haven’t you obeyed[l] the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.”[m]

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed[n] the Lord! I went on the campaign[o] the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle—the best of what was to be slaughtered—to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

22 Then Samuel said,

“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as he does in obedience?[p]
Certainly,[q] obedience[r] is better than sacrifice;
paying attention is better than[s] the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the Lord’s orders,[t]
he has rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded[u] and your words as well. For I was afraid of the army,[v] and I obeyed their voice. 25 Now please forgive my sin. Go back with me so I can worship the Lord.”

26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the Lord’s orders,[w] and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul[x] grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! 29 The Preeminent One[y] of Israel does not go back on his word[z] or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.”[aa] 30 Saul[ab] again replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 15:12 tn Heb “and look.”
  2. 1 Samuel 15:12 tn Heb “and he turned and crossed over.” Some translations assume that the quotation continues and that “he” is Saul. The wording of the LXX, “he went down to Gilgal to Saul” assumes that Samuel is the subject and that the quotation has ended.tc The LXX also has “he returned the chariot” or “the chariot returned” before “he went down.” Again this may or may not be part of the quotation.
  3. 1 Samuel 15:12 tc At the end of v. 12 the LXX and one Old Latin ms include the following words not found in the MT: “to Saul. And behold, he was offering as a burnt offering to the Lord the best of the spoils that he had brought from the Amalekites.” The Lucianic Greek translation does not include this text.
  4. 1 Samuel 15:13 tn Or “message, word.”
  5. 1 Samuel 15:14 tn The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  6. 1 Samuel 15:15 tn Heb “they brought them.”
  7. 1 Samuel 15:16 tn Or perhaps “be quiet.”
  8. 1 Samuel 15:16 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the singular (“he said”) rather than the plural (“they said”) of the Kethib.tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. 1 Samuel 15:17 tn Heb “anointed.”
  10. 1 Samuel 15:18 tn Heb “journey.”
  11. 1 Samuel 15:18 tc The translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the third person plural suffix of the MT (“they”).
  12. 1 Samuel 15:19 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”
  13. 1 Samuel 15:19 tn Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
  14. 1 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”
  15. 1 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “journey.”
  16. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the Lord.”
  17. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “look.”
  18. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “listening.”
  19. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
  20. 1 Samuel 15:23 tn Or “message, word.”
  21. 1 Samuel 15:24 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord.”
  22. 1 Samuel 15:24 tn Heb “people.”
  23. 1 Samuel 15:26 tn Or “message, word.”
  24. 1 Samuel 15:27 tn Heb “he,” but Saul is clearly the referent. A Qumran ms and the LXX include the name “Saul” here.
  25. 1 Samuel 15:29 tn Heb “splendor,” used here by metonymy as a title for the Lord.
  26. 1 Samuel 15:29 tn Or perhaps “does not lie.”
  27. 1 Samuel 15:29 sn This observation marks the preceding statement (v. 28) as an unconditional, unalterable decree. When God makes such a decree he will not alter it or change his mind. This does not mean that God never deviates from his stated intentions or changes his mind. On the contrary, several passages describe him as changing his mind. In fact, his willingness to do so is one of his fundamental divine attributes (see Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). For a fuller discussion see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Change His Mind?” BSac 152 (1995): 387-99.
  28. 1 Samuel 15:30 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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1 Samuel 15:10-31
New Living Translation

The Lord Rejects Saul

10 Then the Lord said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.

12 Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”

13 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”

14 “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.

15 “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night!”

“What did he tell you?” Saul asked.

17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ 19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”

20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 21 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

22 But Samuel replied,

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
    and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
    he has rejected you as king.”

Saul Pleads for Forgiveness

24 Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. 25 But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.”

26 But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.”

27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe. 28 And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you. 29 And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!”

30 Then Saul pleaded again, “I know I have sinned. But please, at least honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel finally agreed and went back with him, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

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New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.