1 Samuel 12:14

12:14 If you fear the Lord, serving him and obeying him ¹  and not rebelling against what he says, ²  and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the Lord your God, all will be well. ³ 

1 Samuel 15:22

15:22 Then Samuel said,

“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as he does in obedience? ⁴ 

Certainly, ⁵  obedience ⁶  is better than sacrifice;

paying attention is better than ⁷  the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 16:5

16:5 He replied, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:7

16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by ⁸  his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. ⁹  People look on the outward appearance, ¹⁰  but the Lord looks at the heart.”

[12:14]  ¹ tn Heb “and you listen to his voice.”

[12:14]  ² tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord.” So also in v. 15.

[12:14]  ³ tn The words “all will be well” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the Lord.”

[15:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “look.”

[15:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “listening.”

[15:22]  ⁷ tn The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).

[16:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “don’t look toward.”

[16:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.

[16:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to the eyes.”