Saul Spares King Agag

15 Samuel also said to Saul, a“The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, bhow he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and cattack 1Amalek, and dutterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

6 Then Saul said to ethe Kenites, f“Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For gyou showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 hAnd Saul attacked the Amalekites, from iHavilah all the way to jShur, which is east of Egypt. 8 kHe also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and lutterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people mspared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.