1 Samuel 15:1-11

The Lord Rejects Saul

1 And Samuel said to Saul, c "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel d in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and e devote to destruction 1 all that they have. Do not spare them, f but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

4 So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to g the Kenites, "Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. h For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 i And Saul defeated the Amalekites from j Havilah as far as k Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive l and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 m But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves 2 and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 n "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and o has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.

  1. Cross References
    1 Samuel 9:16
    "Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me."
  2. Cross References
    Exodus 17:8 - 16
    Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
    Deuteronomy 25:17 - 19
    Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt.
  3. Cross References
    Leviticus 27:28 - 29
    But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.
    Joshua 6:17
    And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.
    Joshua 6:21
    Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:19
    And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
  5. Cross References
    1 Samuel 27:10
    When Achish asked, "Where have you made a raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negeb of Judah," or, "Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites," or, "Against the Negeb of the Kenites.
    Judges 1:16
    And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people.
  6. Cross References
    Exodus 18:10
    Jethro said, "Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
    Exodus 18:19
    Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God.
    Numbers 10:29
    And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.
    Numbers 10:32
    And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:48
    And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
  8. Cross References
    Genesis 2:11
    The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
    Genesis 25:18
    They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 27:8
    Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
    Genesis 16:7
    The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.
    Exodus 15:22
    Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
  10. Cross References
    1 Samuel 27:8 - 9
    Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
    1 Samuel 30:1
    Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire
  11. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:15
    Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.
    1 Samuel 15:21
    But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.
    1 Samuel 28:18
    Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
  12. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:35
    And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
    1 Samuel 15:29
    And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.
    Genesis 6:6
    And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
  13. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:3
    Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'
    1 Samuel 15:9
    But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
    1 Samuel 13:13
    And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.