1 Samuel 15:15
New International Version
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.”

New Living Translation
“It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the LORD your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

English Standard Version
Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”

Berean Standard Bible
Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”

King James Bible
And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

New King James Version
And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

New American Standard Bible
Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.”

NASB 1995
Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

NASB 1977
And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God; but the rest we have devoted to destruction.”

Amplified Bible
Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have destroyed completely.”

Christian Standard Bible
Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep, goats, and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we destroyed.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we destroyed.”

American Standard Version
And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Shaul said, “They brought them from Amaleq, for the people showed pity on the best of the sheep and of the bulls and they brought them to sacrifice to LORD JEHOVAH your God, and the rest they destroyed”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Saul said, I have brought them out of Amalec, that which the people preserved, even the best of the sheep, and of the cattle, that it might be sacrificed to the Lord thy God, and the rest have I utterly destroyed.

Contemporary English Version
"The army took them from the Amalekites," Saul explained. "They kept the best sheep and cattle, so they could sacrifice them to the LORD your God. But we destroyed everything else."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Saul said: They have brought them from Amalec: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the herds that they might be sacrificed to the Lord thy God, but the rest we have slain.

English Revised Version
And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
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."

Good News Translation
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."

International Standard Version
Saul replied, "They brought them from the Amalekites. The people spared the best of the sheep and cattle to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God, and the rest they completely destroyed."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Saul said: 'They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.'

Literal Standard Version
And Saul says, “They have brought them from Amalek, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to your God YHWH, and we have devoted the remnant.”

Majority Standard Bible
Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”

New American Bible
Saul replied: “They were brought from Amalek. The people spared the best sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD, your God; but the rest we destroyed, putting them under the ban.”

NET Bible
Saul said, "They were brought from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD our God. But everything else we slaughtered."

New Revised Standard Version
Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

New Heart English Bible
And Saul said, "I have brought them from Amalek; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and I have utterly destroyed the rest."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

World English Bible
Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the cattle, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God. We have utterly destroyed the rest.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Saul saith, 'From Amalek they have brought them, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah thy God, and the remnant we have devoted.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samuel Denounces Saul
14But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?” 15Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.” 16“Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied.…

Cross References
Genesis 3:12
And the man answered, "The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied, "and I ate."

Exodus 32:22
"Do not be enraged, my lord," Aaron replied. "You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.

Exodus 32:23
They told me, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!'

1 Samuel 15:9
Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.

1 Samuel 15:16
"Stop!" exclaimed Samuel. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied.

1 Samuel 15:21
The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal."


Treasury of Scripture

And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

for

1 Samuel 15:9,21
But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly…

Genesis 3:12,13
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat…

Exodus 32:22,23
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief…

to

Matthew 2:8
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

Luke 10:29
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Jump to Previous
Amalek Amalekites Amal'ekites Best Cattle Destroyed Devoted Herd Kept Offering Order Oxen Pity Remnant Rest Sacrifice Saul Sheep Soldiers Spared Totally Utterly
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Amalek Amalekites Amal'ekites Best Cattle Destroyed Devoted Herd Kept Offering Order Oxen Pity Remnant Rest Sacrifice Saul Sheep Soldiers Spared Totally Utterly
1 Samuel 15
1. Samuel sends Saul to destroy Amalek
6. Saul favors the Kenites
7. He spares Agag and the best of the spoil
10. Samuel denounces unto Saul God's rejection of him for his disobedience
24. Saul's humiliation
32. Samuel kills Agag
34. Samuel and Saul part














(15) The people spared the best of the sheep . . .--At once the king understood the drift of his old friend's words; still more, perhaps, the stern, sorrowful look of reproach which accompanied them, "Yes, I understand your meaning. This bleating and lowing certainly does come from the captured flocks and herds of Amalek, but this reservation, which you condemn, was insisted upon by the people; and their object, for which you blame me for acquiescing in, was to do special honour to God in a great sacrifice." There seems something strangely cowardly in this trying to transfer from himself to the people the blame of disobedience to the Divine commands. It is unlike Saul's old character; but covetousness and vanity invariably lead to moral cowardice.

Verse 15. - They have brought them. No doubt this was verbally true, and very probably the excuse of holding a great sacrifice to Jehovah had been put prominently forward. But reasons are never wanting when men have made up their minds, and the people who so readily obeyed Saul before (1 Samuel 14:24, 34, 40) would have obeyed him now, had he really wished it. For a king so wilful and imperious as Saul thus to seek for excuses, and try to throw the blame on others, marks, as has been well observed, a thorough break down of his moral character.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Saul
שָׁא֜וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

answered,
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“The troops
הָעָם֙ (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

brought them
הֱבִיא֗וּם (hĕ·ḇî·’ūm)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural | third person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

from the Amalekites;
מֵעֲמָלֵקִ֣י (mê·‘ă·mā·lê·qî)
Preposition-m | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6003: Amalekites -- descendants of Amalek

they spared
חָמַ֤ל (ḥā·mal)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2550: To commiserate, to spare

the best
מֵיטַ֤ב (mê·ṭaḇ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4315: The best part

sheep
הַצֹּאן֙ (haṣ·ṣōn)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

and cattle
וְהַבָּקָ֔ר (wə·hab·bā·qār)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1241: Beef cattle, ox, a herd

to
לְמַ֥עַן (lə·ma·‘an)
Conjunction
Strong's 4616: Purpose -- intent

sacrifice
זְבֹ֖חַ (zə·ḇō·aḥ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2076: To slaughter for sacrifice

to the LORD
לַיהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God,
אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

but
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the rest
הַיּוֹתֵ֖ר (hay·yō·w·ṯêr)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3498: To jut over, exceed, to excel, to remain, be left, to leave, cause to abound, preserve

we utterly destroyed.”
הֶחֱרַֽמְנוּ׃ (he·ḥĕ·ram·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 2763: To seclude, to devote to religious uses, to be blunt as to the nose


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OT History: 1 Samuel 15:15 Saul said They have brought them (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 15:14
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