📖 1 Samuel — Chapter 15 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore Rhearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, RI remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and Rutterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1 Samuel 15:4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in RTelaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
1 Samuel 15:5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and Tlaid wait in the valley.
1 Samuel 15:6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, RGo, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
1 Samuel 15:7 And Saul Rsmote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
1 Samuel 15:8 And he took RAgag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and Rthe best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the Tfatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1 Samuel 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1 Samuel 15:11 It Rrepenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
1 Samuel 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to RCarmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
1 Samuel 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, RBlessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:14 And Samuel said, RWhat meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
1 Samuel 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: Rfor the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
1 Samuel 15:16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, RStay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
1 Samuel 15:17 And Samuel said, RWhen thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
1 Samuel 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy Rthe sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until Tthey be consumed.
1 Samuel 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst Rfly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, RYea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
1 Samuel 15:21 But Rthe people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, RHath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:23 For Rrebellion is as the sin of Twitchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, RI have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1 Samuel 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, Rpardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, RI will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
1 Samuel 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1 Samuel 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, RThe LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
1 Samuel 15:29 And also the RTStrength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
1 Samuel 15:30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet Rhonour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
1 Samuel 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And RAgag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1 Samuel 15:33 And Samuel said, As the sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel Rhewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
1 Samuel 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to RGibeah of Saul.
1 Samuel 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless RSamuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 15:1–9 — The command concerning Amalek
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Samuel gives Saul a specific judgment command tied to Amalek's attack on Israel. Saul warns the Kenites to leave but spares Agag and the best livestock. This severe warfare text belongs to this narrated judgment; it is not permission for readers to attack peoples today.
Key Truth: Saul's selective compliance differs from the command he received.
Check What You Remember
1. Which people were the object of the command? (1 Samuel 15:3)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:3 (KJV).
2. Which people were warned to depart? (1 Samuel 15:6)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:6 (KJV).
3. Which king was taken alive? (1 Samuel 15:8)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:8 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 15:10–23 — Obedience is better than sacrifice
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Saul claims obedience, but Samuel points to the spared animals. Saul attributes their preservation to sacrifices and to the people. Samuel rejects that defense: sacrifice cannot substitute for obeying the LORD's word, and Saul's kingship is rejected.
Key Truth: Religious activity does not compensate for deliberate refusal of God's word.
Check What You Remember
1. What animal sound did Samuel hear? (1 Samuel 15:14)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:14 (KJV).
2. What is better than sacrifice? (1 Samuel 15:22)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:22 (KJV).
3. What had Saul rejected? (1 Samuel 15:23)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 15:24–35 — Confession, torn mantle, and mourning
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Saul admits fearing the people but also asks for public honor. The torn mantle becomes a sign of the kingdom's loss. Samuel executes Agag, whose violence had made women childless, then departs; he mourns Saul despite the judgment.
Key Truth: Saul's confession remains entangled with concern for his public standing.
Check What You Remember
1. Whom did Saul say he feared? (1 Samuel 15:24)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:24 (KJV).
2. What garment tore when Saul grasped it? (1 Samuel 15:27)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:27 (KJV).
3. Who mourned for Saul? (1 Samuel 15:35)
Find it in 1 Samuel 15:35 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Deuteronomy 25:18 — The earlier description of Amalek's attack provides background to this judgment.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Why does Samuel reject Saul's appeal to sacrifice? Notice the difference between confession and a request to preserve honor.
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What contradiction does Samuel expose after Saul claims obedience?
2. How does Saul explain the spared livestock?
3. What priority does Samuel state about sacrifice and obedience?
4. How is the torn mantle interpreted?
5. What does Saul ask for even after admitting sin?
Notes
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