Samuel Denounces Saul

Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.”

And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.

12 

Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but [he] was told“Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”

13 

When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him,“May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”

14 

But Samuel replied,“Then what [is] this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”

15 

Saul answered,“The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”

16 

“Stop!” exclaimed Samuel“Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied

17 

And Samuel said,“Although you [were once] small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel 18 and sent you on a mission, saying,‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have wiped them out 19 So why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you rush upon the plunder and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”

20 

“But I did obey the LORD,” Saul replied.“I went on the mission that the LORD gave me. I brought back Agag king of Amalek and devoted the Amalekites {to destruction}. 21 The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice [them] to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

22 

But Samuel declared:

“ Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obedience to [His] voice

Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice,

[and] attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.

23 

For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,

He has rejected you as king.”

24