1. Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to appoint you king over Israel. Now listen to his message.
2. This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: ‘The Israelites came out of Egypt. But the Amalekites tried to stop them from going to Canaan. I saw what they did.
3. Now go, attack the Amalekites. Destroy everything that belongs to them as an offering to the Lord. Don’t let anything live. Put to death men and women, children and small babies. Kill the cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
4. So Saul called the army together at Telaim. There were 200,000 soldiers and 10,000 men from Judah.
5. Then Saul went to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the ravine.
6. He said to the Kenites, “Go away. Leave the Amalekites so that I won’t destroy you with them. You showed kindness to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7. Then Saul defeated the Amalekites. He fought them all the way from Havilah to Shur, at the border of Egypt.