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1 Samuel · Literal Standard Version

1 Samuel 15 Literal Standard Version

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  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Majority (Byzantine) text
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Very literal
  • 2020
  • CC BY-SA 4.0

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

1 And Samuel says to Saul, “YHWH sent me to anoint you for king over His people, over Israel; and now, listen to the voice of the words of YHWH. 2 Thus said YHWH of Hosts: I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, that which he laid for him in the way in his going up out of Egypt. 3 Now go, and you have struck Amalek, and devoted all that he has, and you have no pity on him, and have put to death from man to woman, from infant to suckling, from ox to sheep, from camel to donkey.” 4 And Saul summons the people, and inspects them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand [are] men of Judah. 5 And Saul comes to a city of Amalek, and lays wait in a valley; 6 and Saul says to the Kenite, “Go, turn aside, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I consume you with it, and you did kindness with all the sons of Israel, in their going up out of Egypt”; and the Kenite turns aside from the midst of Amalek. 7 And Saul strikes Amalek from Havilah [to] your going to Shur, which [is] on the front of Egypt, 8 and he catches Agag king of Amalek alive, and he has devoted all the people by the mouth of the sword; 9 and Saul has pity—also the people—on Agag, and on the best of the flock, and of the herd, and of the seconds, and on the lambs, and on all that [is] good, and have not been willing to devote them; and all the work, despised and wasted—it they devoted. 10 And the word of YHWH is to Samuel, saying, 11 “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. 12 And Samuel rises early to meet Saul in the morning, and it is declared to Samuel, saying, “Saul has come to Carmel, and behold, he is setting up a monument to himself, and goes around, and passes over, and goes down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel comes to Saul, and Saul says to him, “Blessed [are] you of YHWH; I have performed the word of YHWH.” 14 And Samuel says, “And what [is] the noise of this flock in my ears—and the noise of the herd which I am hearing?” 15 And 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.” 16 And Samuel says to Saul, “Desist, and I declare to you that which YHWH has spoken to me tonight”; and he says to him, “Speak.” 17 And Samuel says, “Are you not, if you [are] little in your own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? And YHWH anoints you for king over Israel, 18 and YHWH sends you in the way, and says, Go, and you have devoted the sinners, the Amalekite, and fought against them until they are consumed; 19 and why have you not listened to the voice of YHWH—and fly to the spoil, and do evil in the eyes of YHWH?” 20 And Saul says to Samuel, “Because—I have listened to the voice of YHWH, and I go in the way which YHWH has sent me, and bring in Agag king of Amalek, and I have devoted Amalek; 21 and the people take of the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for sacrifice to your God YHWH in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel says, “Has YHWH had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as [in] listening to the voice of YHWH? Behold, listening is better than sacrifice; to give attention than fat of rams; 23 for rebellion [is as] a sin of divination, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and teraphim; because you have rejected the word of YHWH, He also rejects you from [being] king.” 24 And Saul says to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I passed over the command of YHWH, and your words; because I have feared the people, I also listen to their voice; 25 and now, please bear with my sin, and return with me, and I bow myself to YHWH.” 26 And Samuel says to Saul, “I do not return with you; for you have rejected the word of YHWH, and YHWH rejects you from being king over Israel.” 27 And Samuel turns around to go, and he lays hold on the skirt of his upper robe—and it is torn! 28 And Samuel says to him, “YHWH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and given it to your neighbor who is better than you; 29 and also, the Preeminence of Israel does not lie nor relent, for He [is] not a man that He should relent.” 30 And he says, “I have sinned; now please honor me before [the] elderly of my people and before Israel, and return with me; and I have bowed myself to your God YHWH.” 31 And Samuel turns back after Saul, and Saul bows himself to YHWH; 32 and Samuel says, “Bring Agag king of Amalek to me,” and Agag comes to him daintily, and Agag says, “Surely the bitterness of death has turned aside.” 33 And Samuel says, “As your sword bereaved women—so is your mother bereaved above women”; and Samuel hews Agag in pieces before YHWH in Gilgal. 34 And Samuel goes to Ramath, and Saul has gone to his house—to Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel has not added to see Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and YHWH regretted that He had caused Saul to reign over Israel.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Agag

    King of the Amalekites

    King of Amalek, whom Saul captured alive against the LORD's command to destroy everything, and whom Samuel hacked to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.

    Cited in the guide: 1 Samuel 15:8; 1 Samuel 15:9; 1 Samuel 15:32

  • Saul

    Israel's first king

    Israel's first king, anointed by Samuel but later rejected for his disobedience to God.

    Cited in the guide: 1 Samuel 9-10; 1 Samuel 15

Cross references (32)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 1 Samuel 9:16; 1 Samuel 12:14; 1 Chronicles 22:12–13; 1 Samuel 13:13; Psalm 2:10–11
  2. 2 Deuteronomy 25:17–19; Numbers 24:20; Exodus 17:8–16; Hosea 7:2; Amos 8:7
  3. 3 Deuteronomy 20:16–18; Numbers 24:20; Isaiah 14:21–22; 1 Samuel 22:19; Numbers 31:17
  4. 4 Joshua 15:24; 1 Samuel 11:8; 1 Samuel 13:15
  5. 6 Judges 1:16; Numbers 10:29–32; Numbers 24:21–22; Judges 4:11; Exodus 18:19
  6. 7 Genesis 25:18; Genesis 16:7; 1 Samuel 14:48; 1 Samuel 27:8; Genesis 2:11
  7. 8 1 Samuel 30:1; Numbers 24:7; Esther 3:1; 1 Kings 20:34–42; Joshua 11:12
  8. 9 1 Samuel 15:15; 1 Samuel 15:19; 1 Samuel 15:3; Joshua 7:21; 2 Samuel 6:13
  9. 11 1 Samuel 13:13; Genesis 6:6; Psalm 119:136; 2 Samuel 24:16; Jeremiah 9:18
  10. 12 Joshua 15:55; 1 Samuel 25:2; 2 Samuel 18:18; 1 Kings 18:42; Joshua 4:8–9
  11. 13 Judges 17:2; Ruth 3:10; Proverbs 28:13; Proverbs 30:13; Luke 18:11
  12. 14 Psalm 36:2; Jeremiah 2:22–23; Romans 3:19; Malachi 3:13–15; Jeremiah 2:18–19
  13. 15 1 Samuel 15:9; 1 Samuel 15:21; Exodus 32:22–23; Genesis 3:12–13; Proverbs 28:13
  14. 16 1 Samuel 9:27; 1 Kings 22:16; 1 Samuel 12:7
  15. 17 1 Samuel 15:1–3; 1 Samuel 9:21; 1 Samuel 10:22; 1 Samuel 10:1; Matthew 18:4
  16. 18 Genesis 15:16; Job 31:3; Genesis 13:13; Numbers 16:38; Proverbs 10:29
  17. 19 1 Samuel 14:32; 2 Chronicles 33:6; 2 Chronicles 36:12; Jeremiah 7:11; Habakkuk 2:9–12
  18. 20 1 Samuel 15:13; Matthew 19:20; Romans 10:3; Job 34:5; Job 35:2
  19. 21 1 Samuel 15:15; Exodus 32:22–23; Genesis 3:13
  20. 22 Hosea 6:6; Psalm 51:16–17; Proverbs 21:3; Amos 5:21–24; Mark 12:33
  21. 23 Jeremiah 28:16; 1 Samuel 13:14; Leviticus 20:6; Galatians 5:20; 2 Corinthians 6:16
  22. 24 2 Samuel 12:13; Isaiah 51:12–13; Proverbs 29:25; Galatians 1:10; Numbers 22:34
  23. 25 Exodus 10:17
  24. 26 Hosea 4:6; 1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 16:1; Jeremiah 6:19; 1 Samuel 15:23
  25. 27 1 Kings 11:30–31
  26. 28 1 Samuel 28:17–18; Acts 13:22; Romans 13:1; 1 Samuel 2:7–8; Daniel 4:17
  27. 29 Numbers 23:19; Ezekiel 24:14; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:13
  28. 30 John 12:43; John 5:44; Isaiah 29:13; 2 Timothy 3:5; Luke 18:9–14
  29. 32 Jeremiah 48:44; Revelation 18:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:3
  30. 33 Judges 1:7; Genesis 9:6; Matthew 7:2; Revelation 18:6; James 2:13
  31. 34 1 Samuel 11:4; 1 Samuel 7:17
  32. 35 1 Samuel 19:24; 1 Samuel 15:11; 1 Samuel 16:1; Jeremiah 9:1–2; Genesis 6:6

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 15:22 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapter XVII)

    Behold, a ready obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." David also says: "Sacrifice and oblation Thou didst not desire, but mine ears hast Thou perfected; burnt-offerings also for sin Thou hast not required." He thus teaches them that God desires obedience, which renders them secure, rather than sacrifices and holocausts, which avail them …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 15:23 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVII, Chapters 7–8)

    Again Saul sinned through disobedience, and again Samuel says to him in the word of the Lord, "Because thou hast despised the word of the Lord, the Lord hath despised thee, that thou mayest not be king over Israel." And again for the same sin, when Saul confessed it, and prayed for pardon, and besought Samuel to return with him …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  3. Quotes verse 15:26–29 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVII, Chapters 7–8)

    And He will not be changed, neither will He repent: for He is not as a man, that He should repent; who threatens and does not persist." He to whom it is said, "The Lord will despise thee that thou mayest not be king over Israel," and "The Lord hath rent the kingdom from Israel out of thine hand this …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)