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¹Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and pay close attention to the words of the Lord.

²Thus says the LORD of hosts (armies), 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way when Israel came up from Egypt.

³Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

⁴So Saul summoned the people and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.

⁵Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

⁶Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, leave, go down from the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they went up from Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

⁷Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.

⁸He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, though he totally destroyed all [the rest of] the people with the sword.

⁹Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and everything that was good, and they were not willing to destroy them entirely; but everything that was undesirable or worthless they destroyed completely.

¹⁰Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,

¹¹"I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My commands." Samuel was angry [over Saul's failure] and he cried out to the LORD all night.

¹²When Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul, he was told, "Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up for himself a monument [commemorating his victory], then he turned and went on and went down to Gilgal."

¹³So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD. I have carried out the command of the LORD."

¹⁴But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

¹⁵Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have destroyed completely."

¹⁶Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop, and let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." Saul said to him, "Speak."

¹⁷Samuel said, "Is it not true that even though you were small (insignificant) in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel,

¹⁸and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, totally destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.'

¹⁹Why did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but [instead] swooped down on the plunder [with shouts of victory] and did evil in the sight of the LORD?"

²⁰Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites.

²¹"But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things [that were] to be totally destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."

²²Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obedience to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed [is better] than the fat of rams.

²³"For rebellion is as [serious as] the sin of divination (fortune-telling), And disobedience is as [serious as] false religion and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you as king."

²⁴Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

²⁵Now, please, pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the LORD."

²⁶But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."

²⁷As Samuel turned to go [away], Saul grabbed the hem of his robe [to stop him], and it tore.

²⁸So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.

²⁹Also the Splendor and Glory and Eminence of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind."

³⁰Saul said, "I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God."

³¹So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

³²Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites." And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death has come to an end."

³³Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel cut Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

³⁵Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

¹The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve for Saul, when I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons."

²But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer from the herd with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'

³You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do [after that]; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate."

⁴So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?"

⁵And he said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶So it happened, when they had come, he looked at Eliab [the eldest son] and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him."

⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."

⁹Next Jesse had Shammah pass by. And Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen him either."

¹⁰Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen [any of] these."

¹¹Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" Jesse replied, "There is still one left, the youngest; he is tending the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send word and bring him; because we will not sit down [to eat the sacrificial meal] until he comes here."

¹²So Jesse sent word and brought him in. Now he had a ruddy complexion, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. The LORD said [to Samuel], "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."

¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

¹⁴Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and terrified him.

¹⁵Saul's servants said to him, "Behold, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

¹⁶"Let our lord now command your servants who are here before you to find a man who plays skillfully on the harp; and when the evil spirit from God is on you, he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well."

¹⁷So Saul told his servants, "Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me."

¹⁸One of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a brave and competent man, a warrior, discerning (prudent, eloquent) in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him."

¹⁹So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the flock."

²⁰Jesse took a donkey [loaded with] bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul with David his son.

²¹Then David came to Saul and attended him. Saul loved him greatly and [later] David became his armor bearer.

²²Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Please let David be my attendant, for he has found favor in my sight."

²³So it came about that whenever the [evil] spirit from God was on Saul, David took a harp and played it with his hand; so Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would leave him.