^{1 Ref} And Samuel said unto Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of Jehovah.

^{2 Ref} Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.

^{3 Ref} Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

^{4 Ref} And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

⁵ And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

^{6 Ref} And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

^{7 Ref} And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as thou goest to Shur, that is before Egypt.

^{8 Ref} And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

^{9 Ref} But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

¹⁰ Then came the word of Jehovah unto Samuel, saying,

^{11 Ref} It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And Samuel was wroth; and he cried unto Jehovah all night.

^{12 Ref} And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument, and turned, and passed on, and went down to Gilgal.

^{13 Ref} And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of Jehovah: I have performed the commandment of Jehovah.

^{14 Ref} And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

^{15 Ref} And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

^{16 Ref} Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what Jehovah hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

^{17 Ref} And Samuel said, Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed thee king over Israel;

^{18 Ref} and Jehovah sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

^{19 Ref} Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of Jehovah, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah?

^{20 Ref} And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

^{21 Ref} But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.

^{22 Ref} And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

^{23 Ref} For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

^{24 Ref} And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Jehovah, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

^{25 Ref} Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship Jehovah.

^{26 Ref} And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

^{27 Ref} And as Samuel turned about to go away, `Saul' laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent.

^{28 Ref} And Samuel said unto him, Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.

^{29 Ref} And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.

^{30 Ref} Then he said, I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship Jehovah thy God.

³¹ So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped Jehovah.

^{32 Ref} Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

^{33 Ref} And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.

^{34 Ref} Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

^{35 Ref} And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and Jehovah repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

^{1 Ref} And Samuel saith unto Saul, `Me did Jehovah send to anoint thee for king over His people, over Israel; and now, hearken to the voice of the words of Jehovah:

^{2 Ref} `Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, that which he laid for him in the way in his going up out of Egypt.

^{3 Ref} Now, go, and thou hast smitten Amalek, and devoted all that it hath, and thou hast no pity on it, and hast put to death from man unto woman, from infant unto suckling, from ox unto sheep, from camel unto ass.'

^{4 Ref} And Saul summoneth the people, and inspecteth them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand `are' men of Judah.

⁵ And Saul cometh in unto a city of Amalek, and layeth wait in a valley;

^{6 Ref} and Saul saith unto the Kenite, `Go, turn aside, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I consume thee with it, and thou didst kindness with all the sons of Israel, in their going up out of Egypt;' and the Kenite turneth aside from the midst of Amalek.

^{7 Ref} And Saul smiteth Amalek from Havilah -- thy going in to Shur, which `is' on the front of Egypt,

^{8 Ref} and he catcheth Agag king of Amalek alive, and all the people he hath devoted by the mouth of the sword;

^{9 Ref} and Saul hath pity -- also the people -- on Agag, and on the best of the flock, and of the herd, and of the seconds, and on the lambs, and on all that `is' good, and have not been willing to devote them; and all the work, despised and wasted -- it they devoted.

¹⁰ And the word of Jehovah is unto Samuel, saying,

^{11 Ref} `I have repented that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he hath turned back from after Me, and My words he hath not performed;' and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he crieth unto Jehovah all the night.

^{12 Ref} And Samuel riseth early to meet Saul in the morning, and it is declared to Samuel, saying, `Saul hath come in to Carmel, and lo, he is setting up to himself a monument, and goeth round, and passeth over, and goeth down to Gilgal.'

^{13 Ref} And Samuel cometh in unto Saul, and Saul saith to him, `Blessed `art' thou of Jehovah; I have performed the word of Jehovah.'

^{14 Ref} And Samuel saith, `And what `is' the noise of this flock in mine ears -- and the noise of the herd which I am hearing?'

^{15 Ref} And Saul saith, `From Amalek they have brought them, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah thy God, and the remnant we have devoted.'

^{16 Ref} And Samuel saith unto Saul, `Desist, and I declare to thee that which Jehovah hath spoken unto me to-night;' and he saith to him, `Speak.'

^{17 Ref} And Samuel saith, `Art not thou, if thou `art' little in thine own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? and Jehovah doth anoint thee for king over Israel,

^{18 Ref} and Jehovah sendeth thee in the way, and saith, Go, and thou hast devoted the sinners, the Amalekite, and fought against them till they are consumed;

^{19 Ref} and why hast thou not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah -- and dost fly unto the spoil, and dost do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah?'

^{20 Ref} And Saul saith unto Samuel, `Because -- I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and I go in the way which Jehovah hath sent me, and bring in Agag king of Amalek, and Amalek I have devoted;

^{21 Ref} and the people taketh of the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for sacrifice to Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.'

^{22 Ref} And Samuel saith, `Hath Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as `in' hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention than fat of rams;

^{23 Ref} for a sin of divination `is' rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim `is' stubbornness; because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from `being' king.'

^{24 Ref} And Saul saith unto Samuel, `I have sinned, for I passed over the command of Jehovah, and thy words; because I have feared the people, I also hearken to their voice;

^{25 Ref} and now, bear, I pray thee, with my sin, and turn back with me, and I bow myself to Jehovah.'

^{26 Ref} And Samuel saith unto Saul, `I do not turn back with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth reject thee from being king over Israel.'

^{27 Ref} And Samuel turneth round to go, and he layeth hold on the skirt of his upper robe -- and it is rent!

^{28 Ref} And Samuel saith unto him, `Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee to-day, and given it to thy neighbour who is better than thou;

^{29 Ref} and also, the Pre-eminence of Israel doth not lie nor repent, for He `is' not a man to be penitent.'

^{30 Ref} And he saith, `I have sinned; now, honour me, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn back with me; and I have bowed myself to Jehovah thy God.'

³¹ And Samuel turneth back after Saul, and Saul boweth himself to Jehovah;

^{32 Ref} and Samuel saith, `Bring ye nigh unto me Agag king of Amalek,' and Agag cometh unto him daintily, and Agag saith, `Surely the bitterness of death hath turned aside.'

^{33 Ref} And Samuel saith, `As thy sword bereaved women -- so is thy mother bereaved above women;' and Samuel heweth Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.

^{34 Ref} And Samuel goeth to Ramath, and Saul hath gone unto his house -- to Gibeah of Saul.

^{35 Ref} And Samuel hath not added to see Saul till the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and Jehovah repented that He had caused Saul to reign over Israel.