1 Samuel 15

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Samuel said to Saul, 'I am the man whom Yahweh sent to anoint you as king of his people Israel, sonow listen to the words of Yahweh.	1 And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over his People Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Lord:
2 This is what Yahweh Sabaoth says, "I intend to punish what Amalek did to Israel -- laying a trap forhim on the way as he was coming up from Egypt.	2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I have reckoned up all that Amalec hath done to Israel: I how he opposed them in the way when they came up out of Egypt.
3 Now, go and crush Amalek; put him under the curse of destruction with al that he possesses. Do notspare him, but kil man and woman, babe and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." '	3 Now therefore go, and smite Amalec, and utterly destroy all that he hath: spare him not, nor covet any thing that is his: but slay both man and woman, child and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
4 Saul summoned the people and reviewed them at Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers (andten thousand men of Judah).	4 So Saul commanded the people, and numbered them as lambs: two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand of the men of Juda.
5 Saul advanced on the town of Amalek and lay in ambush in the river bed.	5 And when Saul was come to the city of Amalec, he laid ambushes in the torrent.
6 Saul said to the Kenites, 'Go away, leave your homes among the Amalekites, in case I destroy youwith them -- you acted with faithful love towards al the Israelites when they were coming up from Egypt.' So theKenites moved away from the Amalekites.	6 And Saul said to the Cinite: Go, depart and get ye down from Amalec: lest I destroy thee with him. For thou hast shewn kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. And the Cinite departed from the midst of Amalec.
7 Saul then crushed the Amalekites, beginning at Havilah in the direction of Shur, which is to the east ofEgypt.	7 And Saul smote Amalec from Hevila, until thou comest to Sur, which is over against Egypt.
8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive and, executing the curse of destruction, put al the people tothe sword.	8 And he took Agag the king of Amalec alive: but all the common people he slew with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fatlings and lambs andal that was good. They did not want to consign these to the curse of destruction; they consigned only what waspoor and worthless.	9 And Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the flocks of sheep and of the herds, and the garments and the rams, and all that was beautiful, and would not destroy them: but every thing that was vile and good for nothing, that they destroyed.
10 The word of Yahweh came to Samuel,	10 And the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying:
11 'I regret having made Saul king, since he has broken his allegiance to me and not carried out myorders.' Samuel was appal ed and cried to Yahweh al night long.	11 It repenteth me that I have made Saul king: for he hath forsaken me, and hath not executed my commandments. And Samuel was grieved, and he cried unto the Lord all night.
12 In the morning, Samuel set off to find Saul. Samuel was told, 'Saul has been to Carmel, to raisehimself a monument there, but now has turned about, moved on and gone down to Gilgal.'	12 And when Samuel rose early, to go to Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, that Saul was come to Carmel, and had erected for himself a triumphant arch, and returning had passed on, and gone down to Galgal. And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul was offering a holocaust to the Lord out of the choicest of the spoils which he had brought from Amalec.
13 When Samuel reached Saul, Saul said, 'May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have carried outYahweh's orders.'	13 And when Samuel was come to Saul, Saul said to him: Blessed be thou of the Lord, I have fulfilled the word of the Lord.
14 Samuel replied, 'Then what is this bleating of sheep in my ears and the lowing of cattle that I hear?'	14 And Samuel said: What meaneth then this bleating of the flocks, which soundeth in my ears, and the lowing of the herds, which I hear?
15 Saul said, 'They have been brought from Amalek, the people having spared the best of the sheepand cattle to sacrifice them to Yahweh, your God; the rest we have consigned to the curse of destruction.'	15 And Saul said: They have brought them from Amalec: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the herds that they might be sacrificed to the Lord thy God, but the rest we have slain.
16 Samuel then said to Saul, 'Stop! Let me tel you what Yahweh said to me last night.' He said, 'Go on.'	16 And Samuel said to Saul: Suffer me, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said to him: Speak.
17 Samuel said, 'Smal as you may be in your own eyes, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel?Yahweh has anointed you as king of Israel.	17 And Samuel said: When thou wast a little one in thy own eyes, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed thee to be king over Israel.
18 When Yahweh sent you on a mission he said to you, "Go and put those sinners, the Amalekites,under the curse of destruction and make war on them until they are exterminated."	18 And the Lord sent thee on the way, and said: Go, and kill the sinners of Amalec, and thou shalt fight against them until thou hast utterly destroyed them.
19 Why then did you not obey Yahweh's voice? Why did you fal on the booty and do what is wrong inYahweh's eyes?'	19 Why then didst thou not hearken to the voice of the Lord: but hast turned to the prey, and hast done evil in the eyes of the Lord.
20 Saul replied to Samuel, 'But I did obey Yahweh's voice. I went on the mission which Yahweh gaveme; I brought back Agag king of the Amalekites; I put Amalek under the curse of destruction;	20 And Saul said to Samuel: Yea I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord, and have walked in the way by which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalec, and Amalec I have slain.
21 and from the booty the people have taken the best sheep and cattle of what was under the curse ofdestruction only to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God in Gilgal.'	21 But the people took of the spoils sheep and oxen, as the firstfruits of those things that were slain, to offer sacrifice to the Lord their God in Galgal.
22 To which, Samuel said: Is Yahweh pleased by burnt offerings and sacrifices or by obedience toYahweh's voice? Truly, obedience is better than sacrifice, submissiveness than the fat of rams.	22 And Samuel said: Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is a sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of idolatry! 'Since you have rejected Yahweh'sword, he has rejected you as king.'	23 Because it is like the sin of witchcraft, to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry, to refuse to obey. Forasmuch therefore as thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 Saul then said to Samuel, 'I have sinned, having broken Yahweh's order and your instructionsbecause I was afraid of the people and yielded to their demands.	24 And Saul said to Samuel: I have sinned because I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words, fearing the people, and obeying their voice.
25 Now, please forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I can worship Yahweh.'	25 But now bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with me, that I may adore the Lord.
26 Samuel said to Saul, 'I wil not come back with you, since you have rejected Yahweh's word andYahweh has rejected you as king of Israel.'	26 And Samuel said to Saul: I will not return with thee, because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
27 As Samuel turned away to leave, Saul caught at the hem of his cloak and it tore,	27 And Samuel turned about to go away: but he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
28 and Samuel said to him, 'Today Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you and given it to aneighbour of yours who is better than you.'	28 And Samuel said to him: The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to thy neighbour who is better than thee.
29 (The Glory of Israel, however, does not lie or go back on his word, not being human and liable to goback on his word.)	29 But the triumpher in Israel will riot spare, and will not be moved to repentance: for he is not a mail that he should repent.
30 'I have sinned,' Saul said, 'but please stil show me respect in front of my people's elders and in frontof Israel, and come back with me, so that I can worship Yahweh your God.'	30 Then he said: I have sinned: yet honour me now before the ancients of my people, and before Israel, and return with me, that I may adore the Lord thy God.
31 Samuel fol owed Saul back and Saul worshipped Yahweh.	31 So Samuel turned again after Saul: and Saul adored the Lord.
32 Samuel then said, 'Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites!' Agag came towards him unsteadilysaying, 'Truly death is bitter!'	32 And Samuel said: Bring hitherto me Agag the king of Amalec. And Agag was presented to him very fat, and trembling. And Agag said: Doth bitter death separate in this manner?
33 Samuel said: As your sword has left women childless, so wil your mother be left childless amongwomen! Samuel then butchered Agag before Yahweh at Gilgal.	33 And Samuel said: As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed him in pieces before the Lord in Galgal.
34 Samuel left for Ramah, and Saul went up home to Gibeah of Saul.	34 And Samuel departed to Ramatha: but Saul went up to his house in Gabaa.
35 Samuel did not see Saul again til his dying day. Samuel indeed mourned over Saul, but Yahwehregretted having made Saul king of Israel.	35 And Samuel saw Saul no more till the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, because the Lord repented that he had made him king over Israel.