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1 Samuel 15:14
ESV And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?"
NIV But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?"
NASB But Samuel said, 'What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?'
CSB Samuel replied, "Then what is this sound of sheep, goats, and cattle I hear?"
NLT Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?' Samuel demanded.
KJV And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
NKJV But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

What does 1 Samuel 15:14 mean?

The prophet Samuel has tracked King Saul down to deliver a message from the Lord. The Lord is angry with Saul for directly disobeying His command to kill every living person and animal among the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:3). Instead, Saul has spared the life of the king and the best of the livestock (1 Samuel 15:9).

When Samuel finds Saul in Gilgal, the first thing Saul says to the prophet is an outright and easily disproven lie: I have obeyed God's commandment (1 Samuel 15:13). It's unclear whether Saul hoped Samuel would simply not figure it out or whether he intended from the start to claim ignorance about exactly what the Lord was asking. It is also unclear whether Saul is knowingly trying to justify himself in sin or whether he is self-deceived enough to think he was obedient.

Samuel's response in this verse is written as if it were poetry in what is called a parallel form. The prophet asks the king a simple question: how can it be that Saul followed God's instructions when Samuel can hear the captive livestock from where he stands?
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