9. Saul and the army spared Agag and the best sheep and cows, the fattened animals, the lambs, and all the best ⌊property⌋. The army refused to claim them for God by destroying them. But everything that was worthless and weak the army did claim for God and destroy.
10. Then the Lord spoke to Samuel:
11. “I regret that I made Saul king. He turned away from me and did not carry out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he prayed to the Lord all night.
12. Early in the morning he got up to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument in his honor. Then he left there and went to Gilgal.”
13. Samuel came to Saul, who said, “The Lord bless you. I carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14. However, Samuel asked,“But what is this sound of sheep in my earsand this sound of cows that I hear?”
15. Saul answered, “The army brought them from the Amalekites. They spared the best sheep and cows to sacrifice to the Lord your God. But the rest they claimed for God and destroyed.”
16. “Be quiet,” Samuel told Saul, “and let me tell you what the Lord told me last night.”“Speak,” Saul replied.
17. Samuel said, “Even though you don’t consider yourself great, you were the head of Israel’s tribes. The Lord anointed you king of Israel.
18. And the Lord sent you on a mission. He said, ‘Claim those sinners, the Amalekites, for me by destroying them. Wage war against them until they’re wiped out.’
19. Why didn’t you obey the Lord? Why have you taken their belongings and done what the Lord considers evil?”
20. “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul told Samuel. “I went where the Lord sent me, brought ⌊back⌋ King Agag of Amalek, and claimed the Amalekites for God.
21. The army took some of their belongings—the best sheep and cows were claimed for God—in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
22. Then Samuel said,“Is the Lord as delighted with burnt offerings and sacrificesas he would be with your obedience?To follow instructions is better than to sacrifice.To obey is better than sacrificing the fat of rams.