Then Samuel said to Saul, “^aThe LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the ¹words of the LORD. 2 This is what the LORD of armies says: ‘I will ¹punish Amalek ^afor what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and ^acompletely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but ^bput to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

4 Then Saul summoned the people and ¹counted them in ^aTelaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ¹wadi. 6 But Saul said to ^athe Kenites, “Go, get away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for ^byou showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they went up from Egypt.” So the Kenites got away from among the Amalekites. 7 Then ^aSaul ¹defeated the Amalekites, from ^bHavilah ²going toward ^cShur, which is ³east of Egypt. 8 He captured ^aAgag the king of the Amalekites alive, and ^bcompletely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people ^aspared 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.

10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 “^aI regret that I have made Saul king, because ^bhe has turned back from ¹following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and ^ccried out to the LORD all night. 12 Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was reported to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to ^aCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on ¹down to ^bGilgal.” 13 So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “^aBlessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.” 14 But Samuel said, “^aWhat then is this ¹bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the ²bellowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for ^athe people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.” 16 Then 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!”

17 So Samuel said, “¹Is it not true, ^athough you were ²insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the LORD anointed you as king over Israel. 18 And the LORD sent you on a ¹mission, and said, ‘^aGo and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? ^aInstead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD!”

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “^aI did obey the voice of the LORD, for I went on the ¹mission on which the LORD sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But ^athe people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” 22 Samuel said,“^aDoes the LORD have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrificesAs in obeying the voice of the LORD?Behold, ^bto obey is better than a sacrifice,And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “^aI have sinned, for ^bI have violated the ¹command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. 25 Now then, ^aplease pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for ^ayou have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 Then Samuel turned to go, but ^aSaul grasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off. 28 So Samuel said to him, “^aThe LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. 29 Also the ^1aGlory of Israel ^bwill not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.” 30 Then Saul said, “I have sinned; ^abut please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, ^bso that I may worship the LORD your God.” 31 So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him ¹cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is gone!” 33 But Samuel said, “^aAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went to ^aRamah, but Saul went up to his house at ^bGibeah of Saul. 35 And ^aSamuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel ^bmourned for ¹Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.