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¹ And Samuel said to Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. And now listen to the voice of the words of Jehovah.² So says Jehovah of Hosts, I will visit Amalek with what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.³ Now go, and you shall strike Amalek and destroy all that he has. And you shall have no pity on him, and you shall put to death all from man to woman, from little one to suckling, from ox to sheep, from camel to ass.⁴ And Saul heard and mustered the people in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand were men of Judah.⁵ And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in a torrent-bed.⁶ And Saul said to the Kenite, Go! Depart! Go out from the midst of Amalek, lest I destroy you with him. For you acted with kindness toward all the sons of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. And the Kenite departed from the midst of Amalek.⁷ And Saul struck Amalek from Havilah, as you go to Shur, which is before Egypt.⁸ And he captured Agag the king of Amalek alive. But he exterminated all the people with the mouth of the sword.⁹ And Saul and the people had pity on Agag, and on the best of the flock, and of the herd, and the seconds, and the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to exterminate them. But they exterminated every despised and worthless thing.

¹⁰ And the Word of Jehovah was to Samuel, saying,¹¹ I repent that I made Saul reign as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and he has not risen to do My Words. And Samuel was angry, and he cried to Jehovah all night.¹² And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told to Samuel, saying, Saul has come to Carmel. And behold, he has set up a monument to himself, and has gone around, and has passed over and gone down to Gilgal.¹³ And Samuel came to Saul. And Saul said to him, Blessed are you of Jehovah. I have risen to do the Word of Jehovah.¹⁴ And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the flock in my ears, and the sound of the herd that I hear?¹⁵ And Saul said, They have brought them from Amalek, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah your God. And the rest we have exterminated.¹⁶ And Samuel said to Saul, Stop, and I will declare to you that which Jehovah spoke to me tonight. And he said to him, Speak.¹⁷ And Samuel said, Were you not, even you, little in your own eyes before becoming leader of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed you as king over Israel.¹⁸ And Jehovah sent you on the way, and said, Go, and exterminate the sinners, Amalek; and fight against them until they finish them.¹⁹ Then why did you not listen to the voice of Jehovah? Yea, you flew on the spoil, and did you not do evil in the eyes of Jehovah.²⁰ And Saul said to Samuel, I did obey the voice of Jehovah, and I went in the way which Jehovah sent me, and brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I exterminated Amalek.²¹ And the people took from the spoil of the flock, and the first of the herd, that devoted, to sacrifice to Jehovah your God in Gilgal.²² And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold! Obeying is better than sacrifice; to give attention is better than the fat of rams.²³ For the sin of divination is rebellion; insolence is both iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, so He has rejected you from being king.

²⁴ And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the mouth of Jehovah and your word, because I feared the people, and I listened to their voice.²⁵ And now please lift up my sin, and return with me that I may worship Jehovah.²⁶ And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you have rejected the Word of Jehovah and Jehovah has rejected you from being king over Israel.²⁷ And Samuel turned around to go. And he took hold on the skirt of his robe, and it tore.²⁸ And Samuel said to him, Jehovah has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.²⁹ And also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor repent, for He is not a man that He should repent.³⁰ And he said, I have sinned. Honor me now, please, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and return with me. And I shall worship Jehovah your God.³¹ And Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped Jehovah.

³² And Samuel said, Bring near to me Agag the king of Amalek. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death has passed.³³ And Samuel said, As your sword has bereaved women of children, so shall your mother be bereft among women. And Samuel cut Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.³⁴ And Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went to his house, to Gibeah of Saul.³⁵ And Samuel never again saw Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul. And Jehovah repented that He had caused Saul to reign over Israel.