War against the Amalekites

¹Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one whom the Lord sent to anoint you king of his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord Almighty says.

²He is going to punish the people of Amalek because their ancestors opposed the Israelites when they were coming from Egypt.

³Go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Don't leave a thing; kill all the men, women, children, and babies; the cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.”

⁴Saul called his forces together and inspected them at Telem: there were 200,000 soldiers from Israel and 10,000 from Judah.

⁵Then he and his men went to the city of Amalek and waited in ambush in a dry riverbed.

⁶He sent a warning to the Kenites, a people whose ancestors had been kind to the Israelites when they came from Egypt: “Go away and leave the Amalekites, so that I won't kill you along with them.” So the Kenites left.

⁷Saul defeated the Amalekites, fighting all the way from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt;

⁸he captured King Agag of Amalek alive and killed all the people.

⁹But Saul and his men spared Agag's life and did not kill the best sheep and cattle, the best calves and lambs, or anything else that was good; they destroyed only what was useless or worthless.

Saul Is Rejected as King

¹⁰The Lord said to Samuel,

¹¹“I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands.” Samuel was angry, and all night long he pleaded with the Lord.

¹²Early the following morning he went off to find Saul. He heard that Saul had gone to the town of Carmel, where he had built a monument to himself, and then had gone on to Gilgal.

¹³Samuel went up to Saul, who greeted him, saying, “The Lord bless you, Samuel! I have obeyed the Lord's command.”

¹⁴Samuel asked, “Why, then, do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?”

¹⁵Saul answered, “My men took them from the Amalekites. They kept the best sheep and cattle to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have destroyed completely.”

¹⁶“Stop,” Samuel ordered, “and I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul said.

¹⁷Samuel answered, “Even though you consider yourself of no importance, you are the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king of Israel,

¹⁸and he sent you out with orders to destroy those wicked people of Amalek. He told you to fight until you had killed them all.

¹⁹Why, then, did you not obey him? Why did you rush to grab the loot, and so do what displeases the Lord?”

²⁰“I did obey the Lord,” Saul replied. “I went out as he told me to, brought back King Agag, and killed all the Amalekites.

²¹But my men did not kill the best sheep and cattle that they captured; instead, they brought them here to Gilgal to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord your God.”

²²Samuel said, “Which does the Lord prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him.

²³Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the Lord's command, he has rejected you as king.”

²⁴“Yes, I have sinned,” Saul replied. “I disobeyed the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted.

²⁵But now I beg you, forgive my sin and go back with me, so that I can worship the Lord.”

²⁶“I will not go back with you,” Samuel answered. “You rejected the Lord's command, and he has rejected you as king of Israel.”

²⁷Then Samuel turned to leave, but Saul caught hold of his cloak, and it tore.

²⁸Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today and given it to someone who is a better man than you.

²⁹Israel's majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being—he does not change his mind.”

³⁰“I have sinned,” Saul replied. “But at least show me respect in front of the leaders of my people and all of Israel. Go back with me so that I can worship the Lord your God.”

³¹So Samuel went back with him, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

³²“Bring King Agag here to me,” Samuel ordered. Agag came to him, trembling with fear, thinking to himself, “What a bitter thing it is to die!”

³³Samuel said, “As your sword has made many mothers childless, so now your mother will become childless.” And he cut Agag to pieces in front of the altar in Gilgal.

³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah, and King Saul went home to Gibeah.

³⁵As long as Samuel lived, he never again saw the king; but he grieved over him. The Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king of Israel.

David Is Anointed King

¹The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you go on grieving over Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. But now get some olive oil and go to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

²“How can I do that?” Samuel asked. “If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!” The Lord answered, “Take a calf with you and say that you are there to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.

³Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will tell you what to do. You will anoint as king the man I tell you to.”

⁴Samuel did what the Lord told him to do and went to Bethlehem, where the city leaders came trembling to meet him and asked, “Is this a peaceful visit, seer?”

⁵“Yes,” he answered. “I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me.” He also told Jesse and his sons to purify themselves, and he invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse's son Eliab and said to himself, “This man standing here in the Lord's presence is surely the one he has chosen.”

⁷But the Lord said to him, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.”

⁸Then Jesse called his son Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. But Samuel said, “No, the Lord hasn't chosen him either.”

⁹Jesse then brought Shammah. “No, the Lord hasn't chosen him either,” Samuel said.

¹⁰In this way Jesse brought seven of his sons to Samuel. And Samuel said to him, “No, the Lord hasn't chosen any of these.”

¹¹Then he asked him, “Do you have any more sons?” Jesse answered, “There is still the youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep.” “Tell him to come here,” Samuel said. “We won't offer the sacrifice until he comes.”

¹²So Jesse sent for him. He was a handsome, healthy young man, and his eyes sparkled. The Lord said to Samuel, “This is the one—anoint him!”

¹³Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

David in Saul's Court

¹⁴The Lord's spirit left Saul, and an evil spirit sent by the Lord tormented him.

¹⁵His servants said to him, “We know that an evil spirit sent by God is tormenting you.

¹⁶So give us the order, sir, and we will look for a man who knows how to play the harp. Then when the evil spirit comes on you, the man can play his harp, and you will be all right again.”

¹⁷Saul ordered them, “Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸One of his attendants said, “Jesse of the town of Bethlehem has a son who is a good musician. He is also a brave and handsome man, a good soldier, and an able speaker. The Lord is with him.”

¹⁹So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, the one who takes care of the sheep.”

²⁰Jesse sent David to Saul with a young goat, a donkey loaded with bread, and a leather bag full of wine.

²¹David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much and chose him as the man to carry his weapons.

²²Then Saul sent a message to Jesse: “I like David. Let him stay here in my service.”

²³From then on, whenever the evil spirit sent by God came on Saul, David would get his harp and play it. The evil spirit would leave, and Saul would feel better and be all right again.

A Prayer for Protection

¹Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer!

²In despair and far from home I call to you! Take me to a safe refuge,

³for you are my protector, my strong defense against my enemies.

⁴Let me live in your sanctuary all my life; let me find safety under your wings.

⁵You have heard my promises, O God, and you have given me what belongs to those who honor you.

⁶Add many years to the king's life; let him live on and on!

⁷May he rule forever in your presence, O God; protect him with your constant love and faithfulness.

⁸So I will always sing praises to you, as I offer you daily what I have promised.