1 And Samuel said to Saul, “Yehvah sent me to anoint you for king over his people, over Israel. And now, listen to the voice of Yehvah's words. 2 Thus says Yehvah of hosts, 'I will visit Amalek for what he did to Israel when he was set i for him on the way in his coming up from Egypt. ii 3 Now go, and strike Amalek and you shall utterly destroy iii all that is his and do not have pity on him, and kill from man to woman, from child and to infant, from ox and to sheep, from camel and to donkey.'”
4 And Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, iv two hundred thousand on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came unto a city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 And Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, turn aside, go down from among the Amalekite, lest I remove you with him. So, you did kindness with all sons of Israel in their going up from Egypt. So, turn aside from among Amalek.”
7 And Saul struck Amalek from Havilah, in your going to Shur, which is on the face of Egypt. 8 And he caught Agag, king of Amalek, alive, and all the people he utterly destroyed with a sword's mouth. 9 And Saul and the people had pity on Agag and on the best of the flock and the cattle and the seconds and upon the lambs and upon all the good ones, and they were unwilling to utterly destroy them. And everything despised and worthless, it they utterly destroyed.
10 And Yehvah's word was to Samuel, saying, 11 “I am sorry that I made reign Saul for king, for he has turned back from after me; and my word he has not caused to stand.” v And Samuel was angry, vi and cried out to Yehvah all the night. 12 And Samuel arose early to meet Saul in the morning, and it was told to Samuel, saying, “Saul has come in to Carmel. And behold, he is setting up for himself a monument. vii And he has gone around and crossed over and gone down to the Gilgal.
13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you to Yehvah. I have caused to stand viii Yehvah's word.” 14 And Samuel said, “And what is the sound of this flock in my ears and the sound of cattle that I am hearing?” 15 And Saul said, “From an Amalekite they brought them which the people had pity ix on from the best of the flock and the cattle, in order to sacrifice to Yehvah your Gods; and the rest we utterly destroyed.”
16 And Samuel said to Saul, “Be still, and I will declare to you what Yehvah spoke to me last night.” And they said x to him, “Speak.” 17 And Samuel said, “When you were little in your eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And Yehvah anointed you to king over Israel. 18 And Yehvah sent you on a way and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, Amalek, and wage war against him until they finish them.' xi 19 So, why have you not listened to Yehvah's voice, and rushed to the spoil xii and did the bad in Yehvah's eyes?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “Which I did listen to Yehvah's voice, and I did go in the way that he sent me. And I brought Agag, king of Amalek, and Amalek I utterly destroyed. 21 And the people took from the spoil sheep and cattle, the first of that devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yehvah your Gods in the Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said, “Does Yehvah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in listening to Yehvah's voice? Behold, listening is better than sacrifice, to heed than fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is a sin of divination, xiii and the insubordination xiv is iniquity and teraphim. xv Because you have rejected Yehvah's word, so he has rejected you from being king.”
24 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have passed over Yehvah's mouth and your words; for I feared the people xvi and listened to their voice. 25 And now, bear xvii) my sin and return with me, and I will worship Yehvah.” 26 And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected Yehvah's word; and Yehvah has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 And Samuel turned around to go, and Saul grabbed an edge of his robe; and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, “Yehvah has torn Israel's kingdom from upon you today and given her to your neighbor better than you. 29 And also, Israel's eternal one xviii will not lie and will not repent, xix for he is not a man to repent.”
30 And he said, “I have sinned. Now, honor me, please, before my people's elders and before Israel, and return with me; and I will worship Yehvah your Gods.” 31 And Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul worshipped Yehvah.
32 And Samuel said, “Bring near to me Agag, king of Amalek.” And Agag came to him in fetters. xx And Agag said, “Surely, the bitterness of death has turned aside.” 33 And Samuel said, “Just as your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before Yehvah in the Gilgal.
34 And Samuel went to the Height, and Saul went up to his house, Hill of Saul. 35 And Samuel did not again go to see Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul. And Yehvah was sorry that he had made Saul reign over Israel.
Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.
- ם( ש) sâm) “set” NAS; “ambushed” NKJV; “laid wait” KJV; “laid” YLT ^
- Deuteronomy 25:17-19 ^
- םם( תתּממְררַמחְה) hacharamtem) “you shall utterly destroy” - plural “you” ^
- ים איי ם( ל תּט) telâ'iym) “Telaim”; LXX Γαλγαλοις (Galgalois) “Gilgal” - only here. ^
- ים קי הק) hêqiym) “cause to stand”; NKJV, KJV, YLT “performed”; NAS “carried out” - same exact word as e.g. in Numbers 30:15 where a husband “confirms” (NKJV) or causes “to stand” (TT) a wife's vow ^
- ל מואק תּש לי ר מְייח) yichar lishmuêl) “Samuel was angry” Green, WYC, etc.; “grieved” NKJV, KJV; “displeasing” YLT; “distressed” NAS; more literally, “it was burning to Samuel” - same exact verb and syntax as e.g. in Genesis 31:36 where “Jacob was angry” (NKJV). ^
- ד( י) yâd) “monument” - more literally, “hand” - used in this same way in 2 Samuel 18:18 “Yad Absalom” or “Absalom's Monument” (NKJV) םלם( תשּמבְא מדְי) yad 'avshâlom), like in modern Israel e.g. “Yad Mordecai.” ^
- י ימתתי קי רַה) haqiymotiy) “I have caused to stand” - same root word and form (hiphil) as in vs 11. Using the same basic term, Saul claims to have done the exact thing Yehvah said he did not do. ^
- לְםמ( ח) châmal) “had pity” - same term used in vs 3 in which Saul was commanded not to have pity. ^
- written רו תּתאמ י) yo'mru) “they said”; read םר( יתאמ) yo'mer) “he said” - no reason it can not be plural. ^
- ם ם( אתת ם ם( לות מְכ) kallotâm 'otâm) “they finish them” Green; “they are completely finished” ERV; “they are consumed” YLT, NKJV; “they are exterminated” NAS ^
- ל ם( ל ם( ש מְל־ה ם( א ט מְע מעְת) ta`at 'el-hashâlâl) "rushed to the spoil" – this is how 1 Samuel 14:32 is in the “read.” “Written” is. ^
- ם ם( ס םע( ק) qesem) “divination” YLT, NAS; “witchcraft” NKJV, KJV – see footnote for Numbers 22:7. ^
- ר מְצ תּפ מְה) haphtsar) “the insubordination”; NAS “insubordination” (= “defiance of authority; refusal to obey orders” Oxford); NKJV, KJV, YLT “stubborness” - Hiphil infinitive w/definite article, only here in Hiphil. Elsewhere, Qal for press in the sense of “urge” (e.g. 1 Samuel 28:23). ^
- “teraphim) “terâphiym (תּתר( םפיים ^
- Proverbs 29:25 ^
- א ם( ש) sâ') “bear” YLT; “pardon” NKJV - “bear” in similar use e.g. Leviticus 19:17, א ם( ש תי) tissâ') “bear” (NKJV ^
- ח מְצ נק) nêtsach) “eternal one”; CSB, CJB, EXB, ICB, NCV, OJB “Eternal One”; NKJV, KJV “Strength”; YLT “Preeminence”; NAS “Glory” - mostly used for everlastingness, e.g. used 2x in Isaiah 34:10 “forever and ever” (NKJV) ים חי ם( צ תּנ ח מְצ נק תּל) lenêtsach netsâchiym); 2 Samuel 2:26 for, Shall the sword devour “forever”?; Lamentations 3:18 BDB “my endurance,” NKJV “My strength.” ^
- ם( יינ) yinnâchêm) “repent” - same root as “sorry” in vs 11 and 35. ^
- נתת מְד רַע מְמ) ma`adannot) “in fetters” ISV; “in chains” CEB, EXB, etc.; “cautiously” NKJV; “daintily” YLT – only also found in Job 38:31 “chains” (NAS), “cluster” (NKJV), “sweet influences” (YLT, KJV) of Pleiades. ^
And during his life, Absalom had caused to stand for himself a pillar, which is in the valley of the king. For he said, “I have no son to remember my name.” And he called the pillar after his name. And she is called Absalom's monument unto this day. -- ד י) yad) “monument” - lit. “hand” - see also 1 Samuel 15:12.