1 Samuel 15
Open in the reader1Then Heard-of-God said to Asked-For, “He-Who-Is sent me to anoint you king over His people Strives-with-God. Now therefore, listen to the words of He-Who-Is.
2This is what He-Who-Is of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the children of Amalek did to the children of Strives-with-God when they opposed them on their way up from Two-Straits.
3Now go and attack the children of Amalek and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
4So Asked-For summoned the troops and numbered them at Lambs—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Praised.
5Asked-For came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.
6And he warned the Smith-Ones, “Since you showed kindness to all the children of Strives-with-God when they came up out of Two-Straits, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Smith-Ones moved away from the children of Amalek.
7Then Asked-For struck down the children of Amalek all the way from Circular to Wall, which is east of Two-Straits.
8He captured Violent king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.
9Asked-For and his troops spared Violent, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.
10Then the word of He-Who-Is came to Heard-of-God, saying,
11“I regret that I have made Asked-For king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Heard-of-God was distressed and cried out to He-Who-Is all that night.
12Early in the morning Heard-of-God got up to confront Asked-For, but he was told, “Asked-For has gone to Fruitful-Field, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to The-Rolling.”
13When Heard-of-God reached him, Asked-For said to him, “May He-Who-Is bless you. I have carried out He-Who-Is’s instructions.”
14But Heard-of-God replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15Asked-For answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to He-Who-Is your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”
16“Stop!” exclaimed Heard-of-God. “Let me tell you what He-Who-Is said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Asked-For replied.
17And Heard-of-God said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Strives-with-God? He-Who-Is anointed you king over Strives-with-God
18and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful children of Amalek. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’
19So why did you not obey He-Who-Is? Why did you rush upon the plunder and do evil in the sight of He-Who-Is?”
20“But I did obey He-Who-Is,” Asked-For replied. “I went on the mission that He-Who-Is gave me. I brought back Violent king of Amalek and devoted the Amalekites to destruction.
21The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice them to He-Who-Is your God at The-Rolling.”
22But Heard-of-God declared: “Does He-Who-Is delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.
23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of He-Who-Is, He has rejected you as king.”
24Then Asked-For said to Heard-of-God, “I have sinned; I have transgressed He-Who-Is’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship He-Who-Is.”
26“I will not return with you,” Heard-of-God replied. “For you have rejected the word of He-Who-Is, and He has rejected you as king over Strives-with-God.”
27As Heard-of-God turned to go, Asked-For grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore.
28So Heard-of-God said to him, “He-Who-Is has torn the kingdom of Strives-with-God from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
29Moreover, the Glory of Strives-with-God does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.”
30“I have sinned,” Asked-For replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Strives-with-God. Come back with me, so that I may worship He-Who-Is your God.”
31So Heard-of-God went back with Asked-For, and Asked-For worshiped He-Who-Is.
32Then Heard-of-God said, “Bring me Violent king of the children of Amalek.” Violent came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33But Heard-of-God declared: “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women.” And Heard-of-God hacked Violent to pieces before He-Who-Is at The-Rolling.
34Then Heard-of-God went to The-Height, but Asked-For went up to his home in The-Hill of Asked-For.
35And to the day of his death, Heard-of-God never again visited Asked-For. Heard-of-God mourned for Asked-For, and He-Who-Is regretted that He had made Asked-For king over Strives-with-God.