Shemu’ĕl Aleph (1 Samuel) 15
15
1And Shemu’ĕl said to Sha’ul, “יהוה sent me to anoint you sovereign over His people, over Yisra’ĕl. And now, listen to the voice of the words of יהוה.
2“Thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘I shall punish Amalĕq for what he did to Yisra’ĕl, how he set himself against him on the way when he came up from Mitsrayim.
3Now go, and you shall strike Amalĕq and put under the ban all that he has, and you shall not spare them, and put to death from man to woman, from infant to nursing child, from ox to sheep, from camel to donkey.’ ”
4Then Sha’ul summoned the people and mustered them in Tela’im, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Yehuḏah.
5And Sha’ul came to a city of Amalĕq, and lay in wait in the wadi.
6And Sha’ul said to the Qĕynites, “Go, turn aside, come down from among the Amalĕqites, lest I destroy you with them. For you did show loving-commitment to all the children of Yisra’ĕl when they came up out of Mitsrayim.” So the Qĕynites turned aside from the midst of the Amalĕqites.
7And Sha’ul struck the Amalĕqites, from Ḥawilah all the way to Shur, which is before Mitsrayim.
8And he caught Aḡaḡ sovereign of the Amalĕqites alive, and put under the ban all the people with the edge of the sword.
9But Sha’ul and the people spared Aḡaḡ and the best of the sheep, and the cattle, and the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not put them under the ban. But all goods despised and worthless, that they put under the ban.
10And the word of יהוה came to Shemu’ĕl, saying,
11“I am grieved that I have set up Sha’ul as sovereign, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My words.” And it displeased Shemu’ĕl, and he cried to יהוה all night.
12And Shemu’ĕl rose early in the morning to meet Sha’ul, and it was told to Shemu’ĕl, saying, “Sha’ul went to Karmel, and see, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and passed over, and went down to Gilgal.”
13And Shemu’ĕl came to Sha’ul, and Sha’ul said to him, “Blessed are you of יהוה! I have performed the word of יהוה.”
14But Shemu’ĕl said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle which I hear?”
15And Sha’ul said, “They have brought them from Amalĕq, because the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle, to slaughter to יהוה your Elohim. And the rest we have put under the ban.”
16And Shemu’ĕl said to Sha’ul, “Wait, and let me declare to you what יהוה said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
17And Shemu’ĕl said, “Though you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Yisra’ĕl? And did not יהוה anoint you sovereign over Yisra’ĕl?
18“And יהוה sent you on the way, and said, ‘Go, and you shall put under the ban the sinners, the Amalĕqites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
19“And why did you not obey the voice of יהוה, but swooped down on the spoil, and did evil in the eyes of יהוה?”
20And Sha’ul said to Shemu’ĕl, “I did obey the voice of יהוה, and I went on the way on which יהוה sent me, and brought back Aḡaḡ sovereign of Amalĕq, and I put Amalĕq under the ban.
21“But the people took of the spoil, of the sheep and cattle, the best of that which should have been put under the ban, to slaughter to יהוה your Elohim in Gilgal.”
22Then Shemu’ĕl said, “Does יהוה delight in ascending offerings and slaughterings, as in obeying the voice of יהוה? Look, to obey is better than a slaughtering, to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of יהוה, He also does reject you as sovereign.”
24And Sha’ul said to Shemu’ĕl, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the mouth of יהוה and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.
25“And now, please pardon my sin, and return with me, and let me bow myself to יהוה.”
26But Shemu’ĕl said to Sha’ul, “I do not return with you, for you have rejected the word of יהוה, and יהוה does reject you from being sovereign over Yisra’ĕl.”
27And as Shemu’ĕl turned around to go away, Sha’ul took hold of the edge of his robe, and it tore.
28And Shemu’ĕl said to him, “יהוה has torn the reign of Yisra’ĕl from you today, and has given it to a neighbour of yours, better than you.
29“Moreover, the Eminence of Yisra’ĕl does not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”
30Then he said, “I have sinned. But esteem me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Yisra’ĕl, and return with me, and I shall bow myself to יהוה your Elohim.”
31And Shemu’ĕl turned back after Sha’ul, and Sha’ul bowed himself to יהוה.
32And Shemu’ĕl said, “Bring Aḡaḡ sovereign of the Amalĕqites here to me.” So Aḡaḡ came to him delightedly, and Aḡaḡ said, “Truly, the bitterness of death has turned aside.”
33And Shemu’ĕl said, “As your sword bereaved women, let your mother be bereaved among women too.” Shemu’ĕl then hewed Aḡaḡ to pieces before יהוה in Gilgal.
34And Shemu’ĕl went to Ramah, while Sha’ul went up to his house at Giḇ‛ah of Sha’ul.
35And Shemu’ĕl did not see Sha’ul again until the day of his death, for Shemu’ĕl mourned for Sha’ul. And יהוה was grieved that He had made Sha’ul to reign over Yisra’ĕl.
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Shemu’ĕl Aleph (1 Samuel) 15: TS2009
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1 Samuel 15
15
The Lord Rejects Saul as King
1Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy#15:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20 and 21. all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
4So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves#15:9 Or the grown bulls; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11“I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16“Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
24Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
26But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
27As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. 29He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”
30Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” 31So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”
Agag came to him in chains.#15:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. And he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33But Samuel said,
“As your sword has made women childless,
so will your mother be childless among women.”
And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.
34Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
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