1 Og Samuel sa til Saul: Herren sendte meg for å salve deg til konge over sitt folk, over Israel. Lytt nå til Herrens ord.

And Samuel said to Saul, The Lord sent me to put the holy oil on you and to make you king over his people, over Israel: so give ear now to the words of the Lord.

2 Herren, hærskarenes Gud, sier: Jeg vil straffe Amalek for det han gjorde mot Israel, da han hindret dem på veien da de kom ut av Egypt.

The Lord of armies says, I will give punishment to Amalek for what he did to Israel, fighting against him on the way when Israel came out of Egypt.

3 Gå nå og slå Amalek i bann. Utrydd alt de har, uten nåde: drep hver mann og kvinne, hvert barn og spedbarn, hver okse og sau, hver kamel og esel.

Go now and put Amalek to the sword, putting to the curse all they have, without mercy: put to death every man and woman, every child and baby at the breast, every ox and sheep, camel and ass.

4 Og Saul kalte sammen folket og talte dem opp i Telaim, to hundre tusen fotfolk og ti tusen menn fra Juda.

And Saul sent for the people and had them numbered in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 Og Saul kom til byen Amalek, og la seg i skjul i dalen.

And Saul came to the town of Amalek, and took up his position in the valley secretly.

6 Og Saul sa til kenittene: Gå bort, skill dere fra amalekittene, så dere ikke blir ødelagt sammen med dem. For dere viste godhet mot Israels barn da de kom ut av Egypt. Så kenittene dro bort fra amalekittene.

And Saul said to the Kenites, Go away, take yourselves out from among the Amalekites, or destruction will overtake you with them: for you were kind to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. So the Kenites went away from among the Amalekites.

7 Og Saul angrep amalekittene fra Havilah til veien mot Shur, som ligger foran Egypt.

And Saul made an attack on the Amalekites from Havilah on the road to Shur, which is before Egypt.

8 Han tok Agag, amalekittenes konge, til fange, men utryddet hele folket uten nåde.

He took Agag, king of the Amalekites, prisoner, and put all the people to the sword without mercy.

9 Men Saul og folket sparte Agag og det beste av sauene og oksene, de fetteste dyrene og lammene, alt som var godt. De ville ikke slå dem i bann, men alt som var lite verdt og ubrukelig slo de i bann.

But Saul and the people did not put Agag to death, and they kept the best of the sheep and the oxen and the fat beasts and the lambs, and whatever was good, not desiring to put them to the curse: but everything which was bad and of no use they put to the curse.

10 Da kom Herrens ord til Samuel:

Then the Lord said to Samuel,

11 Jeg angrer på at jeg har satt Saul til konge, for han har vendt seg bort fra meg og ikke fulgt mine befalinger. Og Samuel ble meget bedrøvet og ropte til Herren hele natten.

It is no longer my pleasure for Saul to be king; for he is turned back from going in my ways, and has not done my orders. And Samuel was very sad, crying to the Lord in prayer all night.

12 Og tidlig om morgenen sto han opp for å møte Saul. Men Samuel fikk beskjed om at Saul hadde vært i Karmel, hvor han hadde reist et monument for seg selv, og derfra hadde han gått ned til Gilgal.

And early in the morning he got up and went to Saul; and word was given to Samuel that Saul had come to Carmel and put up a pillar, and had gone from there down to Gilgal.

13 Da Samuel kom til Saul, sa Saul: Måtte Herrens velsignelse være med deg! Jeg har gjort som Herren befalte.

And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, May the blessing of the Lord be with you: I have done what was ordered by the Lord.

14 Men Samuel sa: Hva betyr da lyden av sauer som breker og okser som rauter som jeg hører?

And Samuel said, What then is this sound of the crying of sheep and the noise of oxen which comes to my ears?

15 Saul svarte: De har tatt dem fra amalekittene; folket sparte de beste sauene og oksene for å ofre dem til Herren din Gud; alt annet har vi ødelagt.

And Saul said, They have taken them from the Amalekites: for the people have kept the best of the sheep and of the oxen as an offering to the Lord your God; all the rest we have given up to destruction.

16 Da sa Samuel til Saul: Hold opp! La meg fortelle deg hva Herren sa til meg i natt. Saul svarte: Si det!

Then Samuel said to Saul, Say no more! Let me give you word of what the Lord has said to me this night. And he said to him, Say on.

17 Og Samuel sa: Var du ikke liten i egne øyne? Likevel gjorde Herren deg til hodet for Israels stammer, og han salvet deg til konge over Israel.

And Samuel said, Though you may seem little to yourself, are you not head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord with the holy oil made you king over Israel,

18 Og Herren sendte deg av sted med dette pålegget: Gå og slå i bann de syndige amalekittene og kjemp mot dem til de er fullstendig utslettet.'

And the Lord sent you on a journey and said, Go and put to the curse those sinners, the Amalekites, fighting against them till every one is dead.

19 Hvorfor har du da ikke fulgt Herrens ordre, men kastet deg over byttet og gjort det som er ondt i Herrens øyne?

Why then did you not do the orders of the Lord, but by violently taking their goods did evil in the eyes of the Lord?

20 Da sa Saul til Samuel: Jeg har jo fulgt Herrens ordre og gått den veien Herren sendte meg. Jeg har ført Agag, amalekittenes konge, hit, og utryddet amalekittene.

And Saul said, Truly, I have done the orders of the Lord and have gone the way the Lord sent me; I have taken Agag, the king of Amalek, and have given the Amalekites up to destruction.

21 Men folket tok noen av dyrene, sauene og oksene, det beste av det som var slått i bann, for å ofre dem til Herren din Gud i Gilgal.

But the people took some of their goods, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which were put to the curse, to make an offering of them to the Lord your God in Gilgal.

22 Og Samuel sa: Har Herren like stor glede i brennoffer og slaktoffer som i lydighet mot Herrens ord? Nei, å lyde er bedre enn offer, og å lytte er bedre enn fett av værer.

And Samuel said, Has the Lord as much delight in offerings and burned offerings as in the doing of his orders? Truly, to do his pleasure is better than to make offerings, and to give ear to him than the fat of sheep.

23 For gjenstridighet er som spådomssynd, og trass er som avgudsdyrkelse. Fordi du har forkastet Herrens ord, har han forkastet deg som konge.

For to go against his orders is like the sin of those who make use of secret arts, and pride is like giving worship to images. Because you have put away from you the word of the Lord, he has put you from your place as king.

24 Da sa Saul til Samuel: Jeg har syndet; for jeg har overtrådt Herrens befaling og dine ord, fordi jeg fryktet folket og gjorde som de ba meg om.

And Saul said to Samuel, Great is my sin: for I have gone against the orders of the Lord and against your words: because, fearing the people, I did what they said.

25 Og nå, tilgi min synd og kom tilbake med meg, så jeg kan tilbe Herren.

So now, let my sin have forgiveness, and go back with me to give worship to the Lord.

26 Men Samuel sa til Saul: Jeg vil ikke vende tilbake med deg. For du har forkastet Herrens ord, og Herren har forkastet deg som konge over Israel.

And Samuel said to Saul, I will not go back with you: for you have put away from you the word of the Lord, and the Lord has put you from your place as king over Israel.

27 Da Samuel snudde seg for å gå, grep Saul etter kanten av hans kappe, og den revnet.

And when Samuel was turning round to go away, Saul took the skirt of his robe in his hand, and the cloth came away.

28 Samuel sa til ham: Herren har i dag revet Israels kongedømme fra deg og gitt det til en annen, som er bedre enn deg.

And Samuel said to him, The Lord has taken away the kingdom of Israel from you this day by force, and has given it to a neighbour of yours who is better than you.

29 Dessuten, Israels Herlighet lyver ikke og angrer ikke. Han er ikke et menneske, så han skulle angre.

And further, the Glory of Israel will not say what is false, and his purpose may not be changed: for he is not a man, whose purpose may be changed.

30 Saul sa igjen: Jeg har syndet, men vis meg ære nå blant mitt folks ledere og hos Israel, og vend tilbake med meg, så jeg kan tilbe Herren din Gud.

Then he said, Great is my sin: but still, give me honour now before the heads of my people and before Israel, and come back with me so that I may give worship to the Lord your God.

31 Da vendte Samuel tilbake med Saul, og Saul tilba Herren.

So Samuel went back after Saul, and Saul gave worship to the Lord.

32 Samuel sa: Før Agag, amalekittenes konge, hit til meg. Og Agag kom til ham skjelvende. Agag sa: Visst er dødsangsten forbi.

Then Samuel said, Make Agag, the king of the Amalekites, come here to me. And Agag came to him shaking with fear. And Agag said, Truly the pain of death is past.

33 Men Samuel sa: Som ditt sverd har gjort kvinner barnløse, slik skal også din mor bli barnløs blant kvinner. Og Samuel hogg Agag ned i stykker foran Herren i Gilgal.

And Samuel said, As your sword has made women without children, so now your mother will be without children among women. And Agag was cut up by Samuel, bone from bone, before the Lord in Gilgal.

34 Samuel dro deretter til Rama, og Saul gikk hjem til sitt hus i Gibea, Sauls by.

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah, in the land of Saul.

35 Samuel så aldri Saul igjen før den dagen han døde. Men Samuel sørget over Saul. Og Herren angret at han hadde gjort Saul til konge over Israel.

And Samuel never saw Saul again till the day of his death; but Samuel was sorrowing for Saul: and it was no longer the Lord's pleasure for Saul to be king over Israel.