1 Samuel 15:1-17

1Then Samuel said to Saul, “1The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the 2words of the Lord. 2Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will 3punish Amalek 4for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek and 5utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but 6put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

4Then Saul summoned the people and 7numbered them in 8Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley. 6Saul said to 9the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for 10you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7So 11Saul 12defeated the Amalekites, from 13Havilah as you go to 14Shur, which is 15east of Egypt. 8He captured 16Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and 17utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9But Saul and the people 18spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11“19I regret that I have made Saul king, for 20he has turned back from 21following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and 22cried out to the Lord all night. 12Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to 23Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on 24down to 25Gilgal.” 13Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “26Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” 14But Samuel said, “27What then is this 28bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the 29lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for 30the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.” 16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

17Samuel said, “Is it not true, 31though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel,