1 S amuel told Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and heed the words of the Lord.
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 T hus says the Lord of hosts, I have considered and will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when came out of Egypt.
`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 N ow go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
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 S o Saul assembled the men and numbered them at Telaim—200, 000 men on foot and 10, 000 men of Judah.
And Saul summoneth the people, and inspecteth them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 A nd Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.
And Saul cometh in unto a city of Amalek, and layeth wait in a valley;
6 S aul warned the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
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 S aul smote the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
And Saul smiteth Amalek from Havilah -- thy going in to Shur, which on the front of Egypt,
8 A nd he took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, though he utterly destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.
and he catcheth Agag king of Amalek alive, and all the people he hath devoted by the mouth of the sword;
9 S aul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but all that was undesirable or worthless they destroyed utterly.
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 good, and have not been willing to devote them; and all the work, despised and wasted -- it they devoted.
10 T hen the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
And the word of Jehovah is unto Samuel, saying,
11 I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands. And Samuel was grieved and angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
`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 W hen Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, he was told, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up for himself a monument or trophy and passed on and went down to Gilgal.
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 A nd Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord. I have performed what the Lord ordered.
And Samuel cometh in unto Saul, and Saul saith to him, `Blessed thou of Jehovah; I have performed the word of Jehovah.'
14 A nd Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
And Samuel saith, `And what the noise of this flock in mine ears -- and the noise of the herd which I am hearing?'
15 S aul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we have utterly destroyed.
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 T hen Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight. Saul said to him, Say on.
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 S amuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel?
And Samuel saith, `Art not thou, if thou little in thine own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? and Jehovah doth anoint thee for king over Israel,
18 A nd the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; and fight against them until they are consumed.
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 W hy then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil in the Lord’s sight?
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 S aul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
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 B ut the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the chief of the things to be utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.
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 S amuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
And Samuel saith, `Hath Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention than fat of rams;
23 F or rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.
for a sin of divination rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim stubbornness; because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from king.'
24 A nd Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
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 N ow, I pray you, pardon my sin and go back with me, that I may worship the Lord.
and now, bear, I pray thee, with my sin, and turn back with me, and I bow myself to Jehovah.'
26 A nd Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.
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 A nd as Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of Samuel’s mantle, and it tore.
And Samuel turneth round to go, and he layeth hold on the skirt of his upper robe -- and it is rent!
28 A nd Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.
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 A nd also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent.
and also, the Pre-eminence of Israel doth not lie nor repent, for He not a man to be penitent.'
30 S aul said, I have sinned; yet honor me now, I pray you, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.
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 S o Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
And Samuel turneth back after Saul, and Saul boweth himself to Jehovah;
32 T hen Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
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 S amuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
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 T hen Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
And Samuel goeth to Ramath, and Saul hath gone unto his house -- to Gibeah of Saul.
35 A nd Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, though Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel.
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.