15:14 Samuel replied, “If that is the case, 1 then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?” 15:15 Saul said, “They were brought 2 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.”
15:16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute! 3 Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul 4 said to him, “Tell me.” 15:17 Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose 5 you as king over Israel. 15:18 The Lord sent you on a campaign 6 saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you 7 have destroyed them.’ 15:19 Why haven’t you obeyed 8 the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.” 9
15:20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed 10 the Lord! I went on the campaign 11 the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 15:21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle – the best of what was to be slaughtered – to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
15:22 Then Samuel said,
“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as he does in obedience? 12
Certainly, 13 obedience 14 is better than sacrifice;
paying attention is better than 15 the fat of rams.
15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as 16 king.”
15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded 17 and what you said as well. 18 For I was afraid of the army, and I followed their wishes. 19
1 tn The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 tn Heb “they brought them.”
3 tn Or perhaps “be quiet.”
4 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
5 tn Heb “anointed.”
6 tn Heb “journey.”
7 tc The translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the third person plural suffix of the MT (“they”).
8 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
9 tn Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the
10 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
11 tn Heb “journey.”
12 tn Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the
13 tn Heb “look.”
14 tn Heb “listening.”
15 tn The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
16 tn Or “from [being].”
17 tn Heb “the mouth of the
18 tn Heb “and your words.”
19 tn Heb “and I listened to their voice.”