Thomson(i)
13 And when Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, Blessed art thou of the Lord. I have performed all that the Lord hath spoken.
14 Whereupon Samuel said, But what bleating of flocks is this in my ears? and what is this lowing of cattle which I hear?
15 And Saul said, I have brought out of Amelek such as the people spared, the best of the flocks, and the herds, that they may be sacrificed to the Lord thy God; but the rest I have utterly destroyed.
16 And Samuel said, Permit me to tell thee what the lord said to me last night. And he said to him, Speak.
17 Then Samuel said to Saul, Wast thou not in his sight a little leader of a family of a tribe of Israel? yet the Lord anointed thee to be king over Israel;
18 and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said to thee, Go and destroy utterly. Thou shalt slay those who have sinned against me; namely Amelek; and thou shalt fight against them until thou hast totally destroyed them.
19 Why then didst thou not hearken to the voice of the Lord, but rush upon the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?
20 And Saul said to Samuel, Because I hearkened to the voice of the people. But I have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amelek, and utterly destroyed Amelek,
21 and the people have taken of the spoils, flocks and herds, as first fruits of the destruction, to sacrifice them before the Lord our God, at Galgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in whole burnt offerings, and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold obedience is better than good sacrifice; and to hearken, is better than the fat of rams.
23 Because divination is a sin, the consulting Theraphin bringeth sorrow and distress: because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, therefore the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the word of the Lord, and thy orders, because I feared the people and hearkened to their voice.
25 Now therefore bear away my sin, I beseech thee, and return with me that I may worship the Lord thy God.
26 And Samuel said to Saul, I cannot return with thee. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, therefore the Lord will reject thee from being king over Israel.
27 And when Samuel turned his face to go away, Saul took hold of the skirt of his mantle, and rent it.
28 Thereupon Samuel said to him, The Lord hath rent thy regal government from Israel, this day, out of thy hand, and will give it to a neighbour of thine, who is better than thou,
29 and Israel shall be rent in twain. He will not change, nor alter his mind, for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.
30 Then Saul said, I have sinned; but honour me, I beseech thee, in the presence of the elders of Israel, and before my people, and return up with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.
31 So Samuel returned up after Saul, and when he had worshipped the Lord,
32 Samuel said, Bring before me Agag the king of Amelek. And when Agag came before him, trembling, Agag said, Ah! how bitter is death!
33 Whereupon Samuel said to Agag, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be made childless among women. So Samuel slew Agag before the Lord at Galgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Armathaim, and Saul went up to his house to Gabaa,
35 and Samuel came no more to see Saul to the day of his death. Because Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel,