Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXπαρακέκλημαι ὅτι ἐβασίλευσα τὸν Σαοὺλ εἰς βασιλέα, ὅτι ἀπέστρεψεν ἀπὸ ὄπισθέ μου, καὶ τοὺς λόγους μου οὐκ ἐτήρησε· καὶ ἠθύμησε Σαμουὴλ, καὶ ἐβόησε πρὸς Κύριον ὅλην τὴν νύκτα. (parakeklaʸmai hoti ebasileusa ton Saʼoul eis basilea, hoti apestrepsen apo opisthe mou, kai tous logous mou ouk etaʸraʸse; kai aʸthumaʸse Samouaʸl, kai eboaʸse pros Kurion holaʸn taʸn nukta. )
BrTrI have [fn]repented that I have made Saul to be king: for he has turned back from following me, and has not kept my word. And Samuel was grieved, and cried to the Lord all night.
15:11Gr. 'been comforted.' The word has been rendered the same way before.
ULT“I regret that I have caused Saul to reign as king, for he has turned from after me and has not raised up my words.” And it was hot for Samuel, and he cried out to Yahweh all the night.
UST“I am sorry that I appointed Saul to be your king, because he has stopped worshiping me. He has not obeyed what I commanded him to do.” Samuel was very disturbed when he heard that, and he cried out to Yahweh all that night.
BSB“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.
OEB‘I repent of making Saul king, because he has turned from following me and has not carried out my commands.’ And Samuel was angry and cried to the Lord all night.
WEBBE“It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.” Samuel was angry; and he cried to the LORD all night.
NET“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
LSV“I have regretted that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he has turned back from after Me, and he has not performed My words”; and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he cries to YHWH all the night.
FBV“I'm sorry I made Saul king, for he has given up following me and hasn't done as I ordered.” Samuel was upset, and he cried out to the Lord all through the night.
T4T“I am sorry that I appointed Saul to be your king, because he has turned away from me and has not obeyed what I commanded him to do.” Samuel was very disturbed/upset when he heard that, and he cried out to Yahweh all that night.
LEB“I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not kept my word.” Samuel became angry,[fn] and he cried out to Yahweh all night.
BBEIt is no longer my pleasure for Saul to be king; for he is turned back from going in my ways, and has not done my orders. And Samuel was very sad, crying to the Lord in prayer all night.
JPS'It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following Me, and hath not performed My commandments.' And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
ASVIt repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And Samuel was wroth; and he cried unto Jehovah all night.
DRAIt repenteth me that I have made Saul king: for he hath forsaken me, and hath not executed my commandments. And Samuel was grieved, and he cried unto the Lord all night.
YLT'I have repented that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he hath turned back from after Me, and My words he hath not performed;' and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he crieth unto Jehovah all the night.
DrbyIt repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned away from following me, and hath not fulfilled my words. And Samuel was much grieved; and he cried to Jehovah all night.
RVIt repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And Samuel was wroth; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
WbstrI repent that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried to the LORD all night.
KJB-1769It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. (It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath/has not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. )
KJB-1611It repenteth me that I haue set vp Saul to be king: for hee is turned backe from following me, and hath not performed my commandements. And it grieued Samuel; and he cried vnto the LORD all night. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)
BshpsIt repenteth me that I haue made Saul king: For he is turned from me, & hath not perfourmed my commaundementes. And Samuel was euill apayed, & cryed vnto the Lord all night. (It repenteth me that I have made Saul king: For he is turned from me, and hath/has not performed my commandments. And Samuel was evil apayed, and cried unto the Lord all night.)
GnvaIt repenteth me that I haue made Saul King: for he is turned from me, and hath not performed my commandements. And Samuel was mooued, and cryed vnto the Lord all night. (It repenteth me that I have made Saul King: for he is turned from me, and hath/has not performed my commandments. And Samuel was moved, and cried unto the Lord all night. )
CvdlIt repenteth me that I made Saul kynge, for he hath turned him selfe backe fro me, and not cofirmed my wordes. Therfore was Samuel angrye, & cried vnto the LORDE all that nighte. (It repenteth me that I made Saul king, for he hath/has turned himself back from me, and not cofirmed my words. Therefore was Samuel angrye, and cried unto the LORD all that night.)
Wycland seide, It repentith me, that Y made Saul kyng; for he forsook me, and fillide not my wordis in werk. And Samuel was sory, and he criede to the Lord in al the nyyt. (and said, It repentith me, that I made Saul kyng; for he forsook me, and filled not my words in work. And Samuel was sory, and he cried to the Lord in all the night.)
LuthEs reuet mich, daß ich Saul zum Könige gemacht habe; denn er hat sich hinter mir abgewandt und meine Worte nicht erfüllet. Des ward Samuel zornig und schrie zu dem HErr’s die ganze Nacht. (It reuet mich, that I Saul for_the kings/king made have; because he has itself/yourself/themselves behind to_me abgewandt and my words not erfüllet. Des what/which Samuel zornig and shouted/screamed to to_him LORD’s the ganze Nacht.)
ClVgPœnitet me quod constituerim Saul regem: quia dereliquit me, et verba mea opere non implevit. Contristatusque est Samuel, et clamavit ad Dominum tota nocte.[fn] (Pœnitet me that constituerim Saul regem: because dereliquit me, and words mea opere not/no implevit. Contristatusque it_is Samuel, and clamavit to Dominum tota nocte. )
15.11Pœnitet me. GREG. in lib. Reg. Hac increpatione superbia regis abjicitur, etc., usque ad ut ad majora et semper ex humilitate ascendamus.
15.11Pœnitet me. GREG. in lib. Reg. Hac increpatione superbia king abyicitur, etc., until to as to mayora and always from humilitate ascendamus.
God instructed Saul to “completely destroy” the Amalekites, who had ambushed the Israelites after the Exodus (see Exod 17:8-16; Deut 25:17-19). The Hebrew word kharam (“completely destroy”) often means dedicating something or someone completely to the Lord, either by destroying it (1 Sam 15:3; Josh 6:17-18) or by giving it as an offering (see Lev 27:28-29; Josh 6:19).
Complete destruction was called for in cases where those to be destroyed had committed a severe offense against God, such as worshiping false gods (Deut 7:1-6; 13:12-18). In 1 Samuel 15:3, complete destruction is prescribed as God’s judgment on a nation that mistreated his chosen people. Those who curse God’s family are, in turn, cursed (Gen 12:3).
God still judges the godless and impenitent. But in the new covenant, Christians are not called to be agents of such judgment. God calls us to exercise his mercy toward those who wrong us (see Luke 9:51-56). We must completely destroy whatever within ourselves wars against Christ (Rom 8:12-13; Col 3:5). And we must overcome the enemies of Christ by our faith, by the Good News, and by our love (Eph 6:10-20; 1 Jn 2:9-17). God will mete out judgment according to his justice and in his time (Rom 12:19; 2 Thes 1:6-10).
(Some words not found in UHB: I_sighed/regretted that/for/because/then/when I_made_king DOM Shāʼūl as,king that/for/because/then/when turned_back from,following,me and=DOM instructions,my not carried_out and=it_glowed/burned to,Samuel and,cried_out to/towards YHWH all/each/any/every the=night )
(Occurrence 0) he has turned back from following me
(Some words not found in UHB: I_sighed/regretted that/for/because/then/when I_made_king DOM Shāʼūl as,king that/for/because/then/when turned_back from,following,me and=DOM instructions,my not carried_out and=it_glowed/burned to,Samuel and,cried_out to/towards YHWH all/each/any/every the=night )
Saul not obeying Yahweh is spoken of as if Saul had physically turned away from walking behind God. Alternate translation: “he has stopped following me”
(Occurrence 0) has not performed my commandments
(Some words not found in UHB: I_sighed/regretted that/for/because/then/when I_made_king DOM Shāʼūl as,king that/for/because/then/when turned_back from,following,me and=DOM instructions,my not carried_out and=it_glowed/burned to,Samuel and,cried_out to/towards YHWH all/each/any/every the=night )
“has not obeyed what I commanded him to do.” Saul was to completely destroy everything and everyone. God had placed a ban on the Amalekites. But Saul permitted some livestock to live.
(Occurrence 0) Samuel was angry
(Some words not found in UHB: I_sighed/regretted that/for/because/then/when I_made_king DOM Shāʼūl as,king that/for/because/then/when turned_back from,following,me and=DOM instructions,my not carried_out and=it_glowed/burned to,Samuel and,cried_out to/towards YHWH all/each/any/every the=night )
This could mean: (1) Samuel was angry with Saul for his disobedience or (2) Samuel was disturbed.
Saul’s war against the Amalekites exemplifies many of the key traits–good and bad–of Saul’s leadership over Israel. Immediately before the story is recounted, the author notes that during Saul’s entire reign he fought valiantly against Israel’s enemies on every side (1 Samuel 14:47-52), and he amassed an army of skilled soldiers. Thus, Saul fulfilled one of the primary reasons the people demanded that Samuel appoint a king over them (1 Samuel 8). Then the author notes that the Lord, through Samuel, directed Saul to attack the Amalekites and utterly destroy them and their belongings as punishment for their cruel attack on the Israelites after they left Egypt to travel to Mount Sinai (Exodus 17; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). So Saul mustered a large number of troops at a place called Telaim and traveled to an otherwise unknown “city of the Amalekites” and lay in lay in wait for them in a valley. Saul also warned the Kenites, the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law Hobab (also called Jethro), to move away from the Amalekites so they would not be killed in the coming battle. It appears that the Kenites had remained on good terms with the Israelites since the time of Hobab/Jethro and accompanied them as they entered the Promised Land, eventually settling among the Amalekites in the Negev near Arad (Judges 1:16). Saul defeated the Amalekites, pursuing them “from Havilah as far as Shur,” according the the Hebrew text. The region of Havilah, however, was several hundred miles from the Negev, making it unlikely to be the place to which Saul pursued them, and this is underscored by the Septuagint’s substitution of “Elath” for “Havilah”. It is possible that the author was using this phrase as a hyperbolic merism to indicate that Saul pursued the Amalekites throughout the entire land in which they lived (see also Genesis 25:18 regarding the Ishmaelites). But since elsewhere in Scripture the Amalekites are said to live in the Negev and in southern Canaan (Genesis 14:7; Numbers 13:29; 14:45; Judges 1:16), another possibility is that the “Havilah” reading is a textual corruption. The Septuagint translators may have preserved the original reading of “Elath,” or they may have been making their best guess as to the intended location. Simply based on the similarity of spelling and the geography of the region (as shown on this map), it is possible that the original reading was “Hachilah,” a hill where David would later have some close encounters with Saul during his time in the wilderness (1 Samuel 23:19; 26:1). In any case, Saul and his men thoroughly defeated the Amalekites, but they failed to completely destroy them (see 1 Samuel 30) and their belongings. Instead they took King Agag alive and kept the best of the spoils. After this Saul traveled to Carmel and set up a monument for himself, and then he continued on to Gilgal. When Samuel arrived in Gilgal, however, he was angry with Saul for failing to devote all of the Amalekites and their goods to destruction, and he told Saul that the Lord regretted having made him king. Samuel then killed King Agag himself at Gilgal and returned to his home in Ramah. Saul returned to his home in Gibeah, but Samuel never spoke with Saul again.
