¹⁸ So Samuel told him ^[a]everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “^(A)He is the Lord; let Him do ^[b]what seems good to Him.”

¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and let me inform you of what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

¹⁷ So Samuel said, “^[a]Is it not true, ^(A)though you were ^[b]insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the Lord anointed you as king over Israel. ¹⁸ And the Lord sent you on a ^[c]mission, and said, ‘^(B)Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.’ ¹⁹ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? ^(C)Instead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord!”

²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, “^(D)I did obey the voice of the Lord, for I went on the ^[d]mission on which the Lord sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹ But ^(E)the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” ²² Samuel said,

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “^(K)I have sinned, for ^(L)I have violated the ^[e]command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.