1 Samuel 15:1–19

¹Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. ²This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them on their way up from Egypt. ³Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction^a all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

⁴So Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim — 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. ⁵Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. ⁶And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.”

So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

⁷Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt. ⁸He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.

⁹Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves^b and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.

¹⁰Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.”

And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.

¹²Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”

¹³When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”

¹⁴But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”

¹⁵Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”

¹⁶“Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

¹⁷And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel ¹⁸and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’ ¹⁹So why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you rush upon the plunder and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”