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, blue:Elohim, 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).
BrLXXΚαὶ εἶπε Σαούλ, ἐξ ʼΑμαλὴκ ἤνεγκα αὐτά, ἃ περιεποιήσατο ὁ λαός, τὰ κράτιστα τοῦ ποιμνίου, καὶ τῶν βοῶν, ὅπως τυθῇ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐξωλόθρευσα. (Kai eipe Saoul, ex ʼAmalaʸk aʸnegka auta, ha periepoiaʸsato ho laos, ta kratista tou poimniou, kai tōn boōn, hopōs tuthaʸ Kuriōi tōi Theōi sou, kai ta loipa exōlothreusa. )
BrTrAnd Saul said, I have brought them out of Amalec, that which the people preserved, even the best of the sheep, and of the cattle, that it might be sacrificed to the Lord thy God, and the rest have I utterly destroyed.
ULTAnd Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekite. For the people had compassion on the best of the sheep and the cattle, in order to sacrifice to Yahweh your God. But the excess we have completely destroyed.”
USTSaul replied, “The soldiers took them from the Amalek people group. They saved the best sheep and cattle, in order to offer them as sacrifices to Yahweh, your God. But we have completely destroyed all the others.”
BSB § 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.”
OEBAnd Saul said, ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best off the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have completely destroyed.’
WEBBESaul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the cattle, to sacrifice to the LORD your God. We have utterly destroyed the rest.”
NETSaul said, “They were brought from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God. But everything else we slaughtered.”
LSVAnd Saul says, “They have brought them from Amalek, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to your God YHWH, and we have devoted the remnant.”
FBV“The army brought them from the Amalekites,” Saul replied. “They spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we completely destroyed the rest.”
T4TSaul replied, “The soldiers took them from the Amalek people-group. They saved the best sheep and cattle, in order to offer them as sacrifices to Yahweh, your God. But we have completely destroyed all the others.”
LEBSaul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
BBEAnd Saul said, They have taken them from the Amalekites: for the people have kept the best of the sheep and of the oxen as an offering to the Lord your God; all the rest we have given up to destruction.
JPSAnd Saul said: 'They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.'
ASVAnd Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
DRAAnd Saul said: They have brought them from Amalec: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the herds that they might be sacrificed to the Lord thy God, but the rest we have slain.
YLTAnd Saul saith, 'From Amalek they have brought them, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah thy God, and the remnant we have devoted.'
DrbyAnd Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites, because the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to Jehovah thy [fn]God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
RVAnd Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
WbstrAnd 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 thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
KJB-1769And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. (And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy/your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. )
KJB-1611And Saul sayde, They haue brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheepe, and of the oxen, to sacrifice vnto the LORD thy God, and the rest we haue vtterly destroyed. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)
BshpsSaul aunswered, They haue brought them from the Amalekites: For the people spared the best of the sheepe, and of the oxen, to sacrifice them vnto the Lorde thy God, and the remnaunt haue we destroyed vtterlie. (Saul answered, They have brought them from the Amalekites: For the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, to sacrifice them unto the Lord thy/your God, and the remnaunt have we destroyed utterlie.)
GnvaAnd Saul answered, They haue brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheepe, and of the oxen to sacrifice them vnto the Lord thy God, and the remnant haue we destroyed. (And Saul answered, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen to sacrifice them unto the Lord thy/your God, and the remnant have we destroyed. )
CvdlSaul sayde: They haue broughte them from the Amalechites: for the people spared the best shepe & oxen for the offerynge of ye LORDE thy God, the other haue we damned. (Saul said: They have brought them from the Amalechites: for the people spared the best sheep and oxen for the offering of ye/you_all LORD thy/your God, the other have we damned.)
WyclAnd Saul seide, Thei brouyten tho fro Amalech, for the puple sparide the betere scheep and grete beestis, that tho schulden be offrid to thi Lord God; sotheli we killiden the tothere beestis. (And Saul said, They brought those from Amalech, for the people sparide the better sheep and great beasts/animals, that those should be offrid to thy/your Lord God; truly we killed the tothere beasts/animals.)
LuthSaul sprach: Von den Amalekitern haben sie sie gebracht; denn das Volk verschonete der besten Schafe und Rinder um des Opfers willen des HErr’s, deines Gottes; das andere haben wir verbannet. (Saul spoke: Von the Amalekitern have they/she/them sie gebracht; because the people verschonete the/of_the besten sheep and bovine around/by/for the Opfers willen the LORD’s, yours God’s; the other have we/us banisht.)
ClVgEt ait Saul: De Amalec adduxerunt ea: pepercit enim populus melioribus ovibus et armentis ut immolarentur Domino Deo tuo, reliqua vero occidimus. (And he_said Saul: De Amalec adduxerunt ea: pepercit because populus melioribus ovibus and armentis as immolarentur Master Deo tuo, reliqua vero occidimus. )
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).
(Occurrence 0) They have brought … the people spared
(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_said Shāʼūl from,Amalekites brought,them which/who spared the,people on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in best the,sheep and,the,cattle to sacrifice to/for=YHWH God,your and=DOM the,rest utterly_destroyed )
The word “they” and the phrase “the people” here both represent Saul’s army. Saul is blaming the people rather than himself.
(Occurrence 0) to sacrifice to Yahweh your God
(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_said Shāʼūl from,Amalekites brought,them which/who spared the,people on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in best the,sheep and,the,cattle to sacrifice to/for=YHWH God,your and=DOM the,rest utterly_destroyed )
Saul is arguing that animals for sacrifice were an exception to Yahweh’s command to destroy everything.
(Occurrence 0) Yahweh your God
(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_said Shāʼūl from,Amalekites brought,them which/who spared the,people on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in best the,sheep and,the,cattle to sacrifice to/for=YHWH God,your and=DOM the,rest utterly_destroyed )
Saul here does not describe Samuel’s God as his own God.
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.
