Samuel Announces the Downfall of Saul

¹⁰ Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not kept my word.” Samuel became angry,^[a] and he cried out to Yahweh all night. ¹² Then Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and look, he is setting up a monument for himself.” Then he turned around and crossed over and went down to Gilgal.

¹³ When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh.” ¹⁴ But Samuel said, “Then what is this bleating of the sheep that I hear in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?” ¹⁵ Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed.” ¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop and let me tell you what Yahweh said to me last night.” So he said to him, “Speak.”

¹⁷ Samuel said, “Even though you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel. ¹⁸ When Yahweh sent you on your way, he said to you: ‘Go! You must utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you must fight against them until you^[b] have destroyed them.’ ¹⁹ Why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh and fall with shouting on the plunder? You have done evil in the sight of Yahweh!” ²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. ²¹ The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.”

²² Then Samuel said,

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned because I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh^[e] and your words, for I feared the troops and I listened to their voice. ²⁵ So then, please pardon my sin and return with me so that I can worship^[f] Yahweh.” ²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

²⁷ As Samuel turned around to go, he^[g] caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ Then Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.^{[h] 29} Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not break faith and will not regret, for he is not a human that he should regret.” ³⁰ Then he^[i] said, “I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me so that I can worship^[j] Yahweh your God.” ³¹ So Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul worshiped^[k] Yahweh.