1 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭3, 8-9, 13, 17-26, 30

Now go fight against the Amalekites. You must completely destroy the Amalekites and everything that belongs to them. Don’t let anything live; you must kill all the men and women and all of their children and little babies. You must kill all of their cattle and sheep and all of their camels and donkeys.’”

Agag was the king of the Amalekites. Saul captured Agag alive. Saul let Agag live, but he killed all the men in Agag’s army. Saul and the Israelite soldiers felt bad about destroying everything. So they let Agag live. They also kept the fat cattle, the best sheep, and the lambs. They kept everything that was worth keeping. They didn’t want to destroy those things. They destroyed only what was not worth keeping.

When Samuel came near to Saul, Saul greeted him and said, “The Lord bless you! I have obeyed the Lord ’S commands.”

Samuel said, “In the past you didn’t think that you were important, but the Lord chose you to be the king. So you became the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord sent you on a special mission. He said, ‘Go and destroy all the Amalekites. They are evil people. Destroy them all! Fight them until they are completely finished.’ So why didn’t you listen to the Lord? You did what the Lord said is wrong because you wanted to keep what you took in battle.” Saul said, “But I did obey the Lord! I went where the Lord sent me. I destroyed all the Amalekites. I brought back only one—their king Agag. And the soldiers took the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” But Samuel answered, “Which pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obeying his commands? It is better to obey the Lord than to offer sacrifices to him. It is better to listen to him than to offer the fat from rams. Refusing to obey is as bad as the sin of sorcery. Being stubborn and doing what you want is like the sin of worshiping idols. You refused to obey the Lord ’S command, so he now refuses to accept you as king.” Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I did not obey the Lord ’S commands, and I did not do what you told me. I was afraid of the people, and I did what they said. Now I beg you, forgive me for doing this sin. Come back with me, so I may worship the Lord.” But Samuel said to Saul, “I won’t go back with you. You rejected the Lord ’S command, and now the Lord rejects you as king of Israel.”

Saul answered, “All right, I sinned! But please come back with me. Show me some respect in front of the leaders and the Israelites. Come back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God.”
(‭1 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭3, 8-9, 13, 17-26, 30‬ ERV)