1Samuel:15-16

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* And Samuel said unto Saul , Me did the Lord send to anoint thee as king over his people , over Israel ; and now hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord . * Thus hath said the Lord of hosts , I remember what Amalek did to Israel , how he lay in wait for him on the way , when he came up from Egypt . * Now go and smite ‘Amalek , and devote all that they have , and spare them not ; but slay both man and woman , infant and suckling , ox and lamb , camel and ass . * And Saul ordered the people to assemble , and he numbered them in Telaim , two hundred thousand men on foot , and ten thousand of the men of Judah . * And Saul came to the city of ‘Amalek , and he fought in the valley . * And Saul said unto the Kenites , Go , depart , get you down from the midst of the ‘Amalekites , lest I destroy you with them ; whereas ye acted kindly with all the children of Israel , at their coming up out of Egypt . And the Kenites departed from the midst of the ‘Amalekites . * And Saul smote the ‘Amalekites from Chavilah until thou comest to Shur , that is before Egypt . * And he caught Agag the king of the ‘Amalekites alive , and all the people he devoted to the edge of the sword . * But Saul together with the people had pity on Agag , and on the best of the flocks , and of the oxen , and of the fatlings , and the fat lambs , and all that was good , and they would not destroy them ; but all the cattle that was of little value and weak , that they destroyed . * And the word of the Lord came unto Samuel , saying , * I repent that I have set up Saul as king ; for he hath turned back from following me , and my word hath he not performed : and it displeased Samuel , and he cried unto the Lord all the night . * And Samuel rose up early to meet Saul in the morning ; and it was told to Samuel , saying , Saul came to Carmel , and , behold , he set himself up a monument , and then went about , and passed on , and went down to Gilgal . * And Samuel came to Saul ; and Saul said unto him , Blessed be thou unto the Lord , I have performed the word of the Lord . * And Samuel said , What is then this bleating of the flocks in my ears , and the lowing of the oxen which I hear ? * And Saul said , From the ‘Amalekites have they brought them ; because the people had pity on the best of the flocks and of the oxen , in order to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God ; and the rest have we destroyed . * And Samuel said unto Saul , Stay , and I will tell thee what the Lord said to me this night : and he said unto him , Speak . * And Samuel said , Is it not that , however little thou wast in thy own eyes , thou art the head of the tribes of Israel ? and the Lord anointed thee as king over Israel ? * And the Lord sent thee on a journey , and said , Go and destroy the sinners , the ‘Amalekites , and thou shalt fight against them until they be consumed . * Wherefore then didst thou not hearken unto the voice of the Lord , and didst fly upon the spoil , and didst the evil in the eyes of the Lord ? * And Saul said unto Samuel , Yea , I have fully hearkened unto the voice of the Lord ; and I went on the way which the Lord had sent me ; and I have brought Agag the king of ‘Amalek ; and the ‘Amalekites have I destroyed . * And the people took of the spoil , of the flocks and oxen , the chief of the devoted things , to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal . * And Samuel said , Hath the Lord as much delight in burnt –offerings and in sacrifices , as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold , to obey is better than sacrifice , and to attend more than the fat of the rams . * For the sin of witchcraft is rebellion , and idolatry and image –worship , stubbornness ; inasmuch as thou hast despised the word of the Lord , he hath also despised thee that thou shalt not be king . * And Saul said unto Samuel , I have sinned ; for I have transgressed the will of the Lord , and thy words ; because I feared the people , and I hearkened to their voice . * And now , I pray thee , pardon my sin , and return with me , that I may prostrate myself to the Lord . * And Samuel said unto Saul , I will not return with thee ; for thou didst despise the word of the Lord , and the Lord hath despised thee , that thou shalt not be king over Israel . * And Samuel turned about to go : and he laid hold on the corner of his mantle , and it was rent . * And Samuel said unto him , The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from off thee this day , and hath given it to thy associate , who is better than thou . * And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent ; for he is not a man , that he should repent . * And he said , I have sinned ; honor me now , I pray thee , in the presence of the elders of my people , and in the presence of Israel , and return with me , that I may prostrate myself unto the Lord thy God . * So Samuel returned , following Saul ; and Saul prostrated himself to the Lord . * And Samuel said , Bring ye hither unto me Agag the king of the ‘Amalekites : and Agag came unto him cheerfully ; and Agag said , Surely the bitterness of death is past . * And Samuel said , As thy sword did make women childless , so shall thy mother be childless among women ; and Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal . * Then Samuel went to Ramah ; and Saul went up to his house at Gib ’ah of Saul . * And Samuel did not see Saul any more until the day of his death ; because Samuel mourned for Saul ; and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel . * And the Lord said unto Samuel , How long wilt thou mourn for Saul , seeing I have rejected him so as not to reign over Israel ? fill thy horn with oil , and go , I will send thee to Jesse the Beth –lechemite ; for I have selected among his sons unto myself a king . * And Samuel said , How shall I go ? if Saul should hear it , he would kill me . And the Lord said , Take a heifer with thee , and say , To sacrifice unto the Lord am I come . * And invite Jesse to the sacrifice , and I will let thee know what thou shalt do ; and thou shalt anoint unto me the one whom I will say unto thee . * And Samuel did that which the Lord had spoken , and came to Beth –lechem . And the elders of the town came hastily to meet him , and said , Peace to thee at thy coming . * And he said , Peace : to sacrifice unto the Lord am I come ; sanctify yourselves , and come with me to the sacrifice . And he sanctified Jesse and his sons , and invited them to the sacrifice . * And it came to pass , when they came , that he saw Eliab , and said , Surely the Lord ’s anointed is before him . * But the Lord said unto Samuel , Regard not his appearance , nor the height of his stature ; because I have rejected him ; for not what man looketh on ; ––for man looketh on the eyes , but the Lord looketh on the heart . * Then Jesse called Abinadab , and caused him to pass before Samuel . And he said , This one also hath the Lord not chosen . * Then Jesse caused Shammah to pass by . And he said , This one also hath the Lord not chosen . * And Jesse caused seven of his sons to pass before Samuel : and Samuel said unto Jesse , The Lord hath not made choice of these . * And Samuel said unto Jesse , Are there not more young men ? And he said , There is yet left behind the youngest , and , behold , he is feeding the flocks . And Samuel said unto Jesse , Send and fetch him ; for we will not sit down till he have come hither . * And he sent , and brought him in . Now he was ruddy , having withal handsome eyes , and being of a goodly appearance . And the Lord said , Arise , anoint him ; for this is he . * Then took Samuel the horn of oil , and anointed him from among his brothers ; and the Spirit of the Lord came suddenly upon David from that day and forward . And Samuel then rose up , and went to Ramah . * And the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul , and there troubled him an evil spirit from the Lord . * And Saul ’s servants said unto him , Behold now , an evil spirit from God troubleth thee . * Let our Lord but say , and thy servants , now before thee , will seek out a man , who is skilful as a player on the harp ; and it shall come to pass , when the evil spirit from God is upon thee , that he shall play with his hand , that thou mayest be well . * And Saul said unto his servants , Select for me , I pray you , a man that can play well , and bring him to me . * Then answered one of the servants , and said , Behold , I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth –lechemite , who is skilful as a player , and a mighty valiant man , and a man of war , and intelligent in speech , and a person of a good form , and the Lord is with him . * Thereupon Saul sent messengers unto Jesse , and said , Send me David thy son , who is with the flocks . * And Jesse took an ass laden with bread , and a bottle of wine , and a kid , and sent them through David his son unto Saul . * And David came to Saul , and stood before him ; and he loved him greatly , and he became his armor –bearer . * And Saul sent to Jesse , saying , Let David , I pray thee , stand before me ; for he hath found favor in my eyes . * And it came to pass , when the spirit of God was upon Saul , that David took the harp , and played with his hand ; so Saul became relieved , and he felt well , and the evil spirit departed from him . * And the Philistines gathered together their camps to battle , and they gathered themselves together at Sochoh , which belongeth to Judah ; and they encamped between Sochoh and ‘Azekah , at Ephess –dammim .

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