1 Samuel

1 Samuel 15 ©

1 Saul is sent to destroy Amalek. 6 He favoureth the Kenites; 7 smiteth the Amalekites; but spareth Agag and the best of the spoil. 10 His disobedience displeaseth the Lord. 12 Samuel denounceth unto him God's rejection of him. 24 Saul's fruitless humiliation. 32 Samuel cutteth Agag in pieces. 34 He and Saul part, and meet no more.

1

SAMUEL also said unto Saul, aThe LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

a ch. 9.16; 10.1; 11.14,15; 13.13.
2

Thus saith the bLORD of hosts, cI remember that which Amalek did to Israel, dhow he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

b ch. 1.11. 2Sa. 6.2; 7.26. Ps. 24.10.
c Re. 18.3. Ex. 17.8-16. Nu. 24.20. De. 25.17-19.
d Nu. 14.45; 24.20. De. 25.17-19. Ju. 3.13.
3

Now go and esmite Amalek, and futterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, ginfant and suckling, hox and sheep, camel and ass.

e Ex. 17.14. Nu. 24.20. De. 25.19. Re. 18.8.
f Le. 27.28,29. Jos. 6.17,21.
g Ex. 20.5. Is. 14.21.
h Ge. 3.17,18. Ro. 8.20-22.
4

And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in iTelaim, jtwo hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

i Jos. 15.24.
j ch. 11.8. 2Sa. 24.9.
5

And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and 1laid wait in the valley.

6

¶And Saul said unto the kKenites, Go, ldepart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye mshewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

k Nu. 24.21; 10.29-32. Ju. 1.16; 4.11. ch. 27.10.
l Ge. 19.12. Is. 52.11. 2Co. 6.17. Re. 18.4.
m Ex. 18.9,10,19. Nu. 10.29,31,32.
7

And Saul nsmote the Amalekites from oHavilah until thou comest to pShur, that is over against Egypt.

n Job 21.30. Ec. 8.13. Ro. 9.22.
o Ge. 2.11.
p Ge. 16.7; 25.18. ch. 27.8.
8

And he qtook Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed rall the people with the edge of the sword.

q 1Ki. 20.31-35. Nu. 24.7,20.
r ch. 27.8; 30.1.
9

But Saul and the people sspared Agag, and the tbest of the sheep, and of the oxen, and 2of the *fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was *vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

s ch. 28.18.
t v.3,15,19. 1Ti. 6.10. Jos. 7.21. Phi. 2.21; 3.19.
10

¶Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11

It urepenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he vis turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it wgrieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

u Ge. 6.6. v.35. Am. 7.3. Ju. 2.18. 2Sa. 24.16.
v He. 10.38. Nu. 14.24. ch. 13.13,14. v.3.
w v.35. ch. 16.1. Ps. 35.13,14. Ex. 14.15; 17.4; 15.25; 32.11. Nu. 11.2; 14.5; 16.4; 20.6; 21.7. Jos. 7.6.
12

And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to xCarmel, and, behold, he yset him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

x Jos. 15.55. ch. 25.2.
y ch. 7.12. Jos. 4.8,9. 2Sa. 18.18.
13

And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, zBlessed be thou of the LORD: aI have performed the commandment of the LORD.

a Lu. 18.11. Pr. 27.2; 31.31. v.9,11.
z Ru. 2.20.
14

And Samuel said, What mean eth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15

And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for bthe people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, cto sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

b Ge. 3.12,13. Ex. 32.22,23. v.9,21.
c Mat. 2.8. Ps. 12.2. Ec. 5.1; 4.6.
16

Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee dwhat the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

d v.11.
17

And Samuel said, When thou wast elittle in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

e ch. 9.21; 10.22. Ju. 6.15. 2Sa. 7.8; 12.7,8. 1Ki. 14.7; 16.2.
18

And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the fsinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until 3they be consumed.

f v.2,3. Ge. 13.13. Mat. 9.10. Jn. 9.24,31.
19

Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst gfly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

g Pr. 15.27; 23.5. Hab. 2.12. Je. 17.11. 1Ti. 6.10. ch. 14.32.
20

And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have hobeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

h Mat. 19.20. Lu. 18.11; 19.22. 1Ki. 20.31-42.
21

But ithe people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

i Ge. 3.10,13. Ex. 32.22,23. v.15.
22

And Samuel said, jHath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, kto obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

j Ps. 40.6-8; 50.8,9. Is. 1.11-17; 66.2,3. Je. 7.22,23. Pr. 15.8; 21.3,27. Ec. 5.1. Ho. 6.6. Mat. 9.13; 12.7. He. 10.6-9.
k Mi. 6.6-8. Mar. 12.33.
23

For lrebellion is as the sin of 4witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, mhe hath also rejected thee from being king.

l Jos. 22.19. ch. 12.15,25.
m ch. 13.14.
24

¶And Saul said unto Samuel, nI have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I ofeared the people, and obeyed their voice.

n Ex. 9.27. Nu. 22.34. Pr. 28.13. Mat. 27.4. v.30. ch. 26.21.
o v.9,15,21. Je. 13.23. Pr. 29.25. Ge. 3.12,13. Ex. 32.22,23.
25

Now therefore, I pray thee, ppardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.

p Ex. 9.27. Ps. 78.34. Is. 26.16. Je. 22.23.
26

And Samuel said unto Saul, qI will not return with thee: rfor thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD shath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

q Ps. 15.4. v.31.
r v.23.
s ch. 2.30; 13.14; 16.1. Ho. 8.4; 13.10,11.
27

And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid thold upon the skirt of his *mantle, and it rent.

t 1Ki. 11.3,30,31.
28

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD uhath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

u ch. 13.14; 28.17,18. 1Ki. 11.31. Ho. 13.10,11.
29

And also the 5Strength of Israel vwill not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

v Nu. 23.19. 2Ti. 2.13. Tit. 1.2. He. 6.18.
30

Then he said, wI have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.

w v.24,25. Jn. 5.44. Hab. 2.4. Ps. 138.6.
31

So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

32

¶Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me xAgag the king of the Amalekites. And yAgag came unto him *delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

x v.8,33. Nu. 24.7,20.
y Je. 48.44. 1Th. 5.3. Re. 18.7.
33

And Samuel said, zAs thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel a*hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in bGilgal.

a 1Ki. 18.40. 2Ki. 1.10,12. Nu. 25.7. Is. 34.6. Ju. 1.7.
b v.12,21.
z Ex. 17.11. Nu. 14.45. Ge. 9.6. Mat. 26.52. Re. 13.10; 16.6. Ju. 1.7; 8.21.
34

¶Then Samuel went to cRamah; and Saul dwent up to his house to eGibeah of Saul.

c ch. 1.19; 7.17.
d ch. 11.4.
e Jos. 18.28.
35

And Samuel fcame no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel gmourned for Saul: and the LORD hrepented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

f ch. 19.24. Ps. 119.136,158. Je. 9.1,2.
g ch. 16.1.
h v.11. Ge. 6.6.