The Lord All-Powerful says: 'When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Amalekites tried to stop them from going to Canaan. I saw what the Amalekites did.
Now go fight against the Amalekites. You must completely destroy the Amalekites and everything that belongs to them. Don't let anything live; you must kill all the men and women and all of their children and little babies. You must kill all of their cattle and sheep and all of their camels and donkeys.'"
He said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites. Then I won't destroy you with the Amalekites. You showed kindness to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt." So the Kenites left the Amalekites.
Saul and the Israelite soldiers felt bad about destroying everything. So they let Agag live. They also kept the fat cattle, the best sheep, and the lambs. They kept everything that was worth keeping. They didn't want to destroy those things. They destroyed only what was not worth keeping.
The Lord said, "Saul has stopped following me, so I am sorry that I made him king. He is not doing what I tell him." Samuel became angry and cried to the Lord all night.
Samuel got up early the next morning and went to meet Saul. But the people told Samuel, "Saul went to Carmel. He went there to set up a stone monument to honor himself. Then he left there and went down to Gilgal." So Samuel went to Saul. Saul had just offered the first part of the things he took from the Amalekites as a burnt offering to the Lord.
Saul said, "The soldiers took them from the Amalekites. They saved the best sheep and cattle to burn as sacrifices to the Lord your God. But we destroyed everything else."
Samuel said, "In the past you didn't think that you were important, but the Lord chose you to be the king. So you became the leader of the tribes of Israel.
The Lord sent you on a special mission. He said, 'Go and destroy all of the Amalekites. They are evil people. Destroy them all! Fight them until they are completely finished'
But Samuel answered, "Which pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obeying his commands? It is better to obey God than to offer sacrifices to him. It is better to listen to him than to offer the fat from rams.
Refusing to obey is as bad as the sin of sorcery. Being stubborn and doing what you want is like the sin of worshiping idols. You refused to obey the Lord's command, so he now refuses to accept you as king."
Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I did not obey the Lord's commands, and I did not do what you told me. I was afraid of the people, and I did what they said.
Samuel said to Saul, "Just as you tore my robe, the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today. The Lord has given the kingdom to one of your friends. This man is a better person than you are.
Saul answered, "All right, I sinned! But please come back with me. Show me some respect in front of the leaders and the Israelites. Come back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God."
But Samuel said to Agag, "Your sword took babies from their mothers. So now, your mother will have no children." And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.