12. Early the following morning he went off to find Saul. He heard that Saul had gone to the town of Carmel, where he had built a monument to himself, and then had gone on to Gilgal.
13. Samuel went up to Saul, who greeted him, saying, “The Lord bless you, Samuel! I have obeyed the Lord's command.”
14. Samuel asked, “Why, then, do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?”
15. Saul answered, “My men took them from the Amalekites. They kept the best sheep and cattle to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have destroyed completely.” and had to be destroyed (see Lev 27.28).
16. “Stop,” Samuel ordered, “and I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”“Tell me,” Saul said.
17. Samuel answered, “Even though you consider yourself of no importance, you are the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king of Israel,
18. and he sent you out with orders to destroy those wicked people of Amalek. He told you to fight until you had killed them all.
19. Why, then, did you not obey him? Why did you rush to seize the loot, and so do what displeases the Lord?”
20. “I did obey the Lord,” Saul replied. “I went out as he told me to, brought back King Agag, and killed all the Amalekites.
21. But my men did not kill the best sheep and cattle that they captured; instead, they brought them here to Gilgal to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord your God.”
22. Samuel said, “Which does the Lord prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him.
23. Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the Lord's command, he has rejected you as king.”
24. “Yes, I have sinned,” Saul replied. “I disobeyed the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted.
25. But now I beg you, forgive my sin and go back with me, so that I can worship the Lord.”