²⁹ Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.^(A) Since he was as zealous for my honor^(B) among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. ¹² Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace^(C) with him. ¹³ He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood,^(D) because he was zealous^(E) for the honor^(F) of his God and made atonement^(G) for the Israelites.”^(H)

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.^(A)

³ And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies^(A) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.^(B)

Rend Your Heart

¹⁸ And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ ¹⁹ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder^(A) and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

²⁰ “But I did obey^(B) the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. ²¹ The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

²² But Samuel replied:

⁶ If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices^(A) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”^(B) (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, ⁷ gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), ⁸ do not yield^(C) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.^(D) Do not spare them or shield them. ⁹ You must certainly put them to death.^(E) Your hand^(F) must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. ¹⁰ Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away^(G) from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹¹ Then all Israel will hear and be afraid,^(H) and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.