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. 2This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will 3punish Amalek 4for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek and 5completely destroy everything 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 7counted them in 8Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the 9wadi. 6But Saul said to 10the Kenites, “Go, get away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for 11you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they went up from Egypt.” So the Kenites got away from among the Amalekites. 7Then 12Saul 13defeated the Amalekites, from 14Havilah 15going toward 16Shur, which is 17east of Egypt. 8He captured 18Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and 19completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9But Saul and the people 20spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the more valuable animals, the lambs, and everything that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them completely; but everything despicable and weak, that they completely destroyed.

10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11“21I regret that I have made Saul king, because 22he has turned back from 23following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and 24cried out to the Lord all night. 12Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was reported to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to 25Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on 26down to 27Gilgal.” 13So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “28Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” 14But Samuel said, “29What then is this 30bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the 31bellowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for 32the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.” 16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and let me inform you of what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

17So Samuel said, “33Is it not true, 34though you were 35insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the Lord anointed you as king over Israel.