1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord. 2This is what the Lord of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them on their way up from Egypt. 3Now go and attack the Amalekites 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.’”

4 So Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim — 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.”

So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.

9 Saul and his troops spared Agag, 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.

10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.”

And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all that night.

12 Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”

13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you. I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

14 But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”

15 Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”

16“Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

17 And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel 18and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19So why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you rush upon the plunder and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”

20“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul replied. “I went on the mission that the Lord gave me. I brought back Agag 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 the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

22 But Samuel declared:

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the Lord’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 the Lord.”

26“I will not return with you,” Samuel replied. “For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and He has rejected you as king over Israel.”

27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. 29Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.”

30“I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.”

31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”

Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

33 But Samuel declared:

And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”

2“How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!”

The Lord answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”

4 So Samuel did what the Lord had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”

5“In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.”

Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the Lord is His anointed.”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the Lord does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart.”

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

9 Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

11 And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.”

“Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

12 So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.”

13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the Lord began to torment him. 15Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.”

17 And Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”

18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and the Lord is with him.”

19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”

20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and one young goat and sent them to Saul with his son David. 21When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer.

22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.” 23And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play. Then Saul would find relief and feel better, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Early in the morning He went back into the temple courts. All the people came to Him, and He sat down to teach them. 3The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them 4and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?”

6 They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.

7 When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” 8And again He bent down and wrote on the ground.

9 When they heard this, they began to go away one by one, beginning with the older ones, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there. 10Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?”

11“No one, Lord,” she answered.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”

12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going. 15You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone; I am with the Father who sent Me. 17Even in your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.”

19“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him.

“You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”

20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.