37 So Saul asked God, 'Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?' But God did not answer him that day.
38 Saul therefore said, 'Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today.
39 As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.' But not one of the men said a word.
40 Saul then said to all the Israelites, 'You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here.' 'Do what seems best to you,' the men replied.
41 Then Saul prayed to the Lord , the God of Israel, 'Give me the right answer.' And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.
42 Saul said, 'Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.' And Jonathan was taken.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, 'Tell me what you have done.' So Jonathan told him, 'I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?'
44 Saul said, 'May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.'
45 But the men said to Saul, 'Should Jonathan die-he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help.' So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.
46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.
47 After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them.
48 He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.
49 Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal.
50 His wife's name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul's army was Abner son of Ner, and Ner was Saul's uncle.
51 Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.
52 All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.
15 Samuel said to Saul, 'I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord .
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.
3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.' '
4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim-two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah.
5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine.
6 Then he said to the Kenites, 'Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.' So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt.
8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs-everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel:
11 'I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.' Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, 'Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.'
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, 'The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord 's instructions.'
14 But Samuel said, 'What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?'
15 Saul answered, 'The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.'
16 'Stop!' Samuel said to Saul. 'Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.' 'Tell me,' Saul replied.
