Agag

1Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to pour oil on your head. That made you king over Israel, God's people. So now listen to what the LORD tells you."

Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

NotePouring oil on someone's head was a special sign. It showed that God had picked that person for a job. New kings were chosen this way. Samuel was a prophet, a man who told people what God said.

2"The LORD, who rules over armies, says this: I remember what the Amalekites did. They hid and attacked Israel on the road up from Egypt."

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

NoteThe Amalekites were a people who lived in the dry land south of Israel. Long ago the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. When they walked away to a new land, the Amalekites attacked them. The old words call God "the LORD of hosts." Hosts meant armies.

3"Now go and attack the Amalekites. Destroy everything they have. Do not let anyone go. Put to death men and women, children and babies. Kill their cattle and sheep, their camels and donkeys."

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

NoteAfter a battle, soldiers usually kept the animals and treasure they found. This time Saul was told to keep nothing at all.

4So Saul called his soldiers together. He counted them at a place called Telaim. There were 200,000 men on foot, and 10,000 more men from Judah.

And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

NoteMen on foot were soldiers who walked and fought. They did not ride horses or war carts. Judah was one of the big family groups of Israel.

5Saul came to a city of the Amalekites. He waited quietly in the valley, ready to attack.

And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

6Saul sent word to the Kenites, another group of people. He said, "Move away from the Amalekites, or I will destroy you with them. You were kind to Israel when they came out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away.

And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

NoteThe Kenites were a small group of people who moved from place to place. They had been friends to Israel for a long time.

7Then Saul attacked the Amalekites. He fought them from Havilah all the way to Shur, near Egypt.

And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

NoteHavilah and Shur were places very far apart. Naming both means Saul fought across a huge stretch of land.

8He caught Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive. He put all the other people to death with the sword.

And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

NoteKings who lost a battle were usually killed. Keeping a king alive was a way to show off a big win.

9But Saul and his men let Agag live. They also kept the best sheep and cattle, the fat calves and the lambs. They kept everything that was good. They only destroyed what was weak and worth nothing.

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

NoteThe fattest animals were worth the most. So Saul's men kept the best prize for themselves.

10Then the LORD spoke to Samuel. He said:

Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11"I am sorry that I made Saul king. He has turned away from me. He has not done what I told him to do." This upset Samuel. He cried out to the LORD all night long.

It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

NoteThe old words say, "It repenteth me." That means God was sad and sorry about what had happened.

12Samuel got up early to go and meet Saul. Someone told him, "Saul went to Carmel. He set up a stone there to honor himself. Then he moved on down to Gilgal."

And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

NotePeople set up a big stone so others would remember something. Saul set one up so people would remember him. Gilgal was a town where Israel met to worship God.

13Samuel came to Saul. Saul said to him, "May the LORD bless you! I have done what the LORD told me to do."

And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

Note"Blessed be thou of the LORD" was a friendly hello. It was a little like saying good morning.

14Samuel said, "Then why do I hear sheep? Why do I hear cattle mooing?"

And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15Saul said, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites. They kept the best sheep and cattle as a gift for the LORD your God. We destroyed all the rest."

And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

NoteA gift for God meant an animal given to him. It was killed and burned on a stone table called an altar. That kind of gift was called a sacrifice.

16Then Samuel said, "Stop. Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." Saul said, "Tell me."

Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

17Samuel said, "You once thought you were small and not important. But God made you the leader of all the tribes of Israel. The LORD poured oil on you and made you king."

And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

NoteThe tribes were the big family groups of Israel. There were twelve of them, all from one family long ago.

18"The LORD sent you out with a job to do. He said, 'Go and destroy the Amalekites, who do evil. Fight them until they are gone.'"

And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19"So why did you not obey the LORD? You rushed to grab the things they left behind. You did what the LORD says is wrong."

Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

NoteWhen soldiers won a battle, they carried things home. They took sheep, cattle, gold and clothes. The old word for all this is "spoil."

20Saul said to Samuel, "But I did obey the LORD! I went where he sent me. I brought back Agag the king. I destroyed the Amalekites."

And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21"The soldiers took some sheep and cattle from the things we captured. They took the best ones, to give as a gift to the LORD your God at Gilgal."

But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

22Samuel said, "What does the LORD want more? Animals burned as gifts, or a person who obeys him? Listen: obeying is better than giving gifts. Doing what God says is better than the finest sheep."

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

NoteA burnt offering was an animal burned on an altar as a gift to God. A ram is a father sheep. Its fat was seen as the best part, so it was burned for God.

23"Refusing to obey is as bad as using magic. Being stubborn is as bad as praying to false gods. You said no to the LORD's word. So he says you are no longer king."

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

NoteMagic here means trying to learn secret things in a way God said no to. False gods were statues that people made and then prayed to.

24Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I did wrong. I broke the LORD's command and your words. I was afraid of the people, so I did what they wanted."

And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

NoteTo sin means to do something God says is wrong.

25"Now please forgive me. Come back with me, so I can worship the LORD."

Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.

26Samuel said to Saul, "I will not go back with you. You said no to the LORD's word. So the LORD says you are no longer king over Israel."

And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

27Samuel turned to walk away. Saul grabbed the edge of Samuel's robe, and it tore.

And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.

NoteA robe was a long, loose coat. Grabbing the edge of someone's robe was a way of begging them to stay.

28Samuel said to him, "Today the LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you. He has given it to a man near you who is better than you."

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

NoteSamuel used the torn robe as a picture of what was happening. The old word here is "neighbour." It means another man of Israel, not a man living next door.

29"God is the Strength of Israel. He does not lie, and he does not change his mind. He is not a person who changes his mind."

And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

Note"The Strength of Israel" is a name for God. It means he is the one who keeps Israel safe.

30Saul said, "I have sinned. But please show me respect in front of the leaders and all Israel. Come back with me, so I can worship the LORD your God."

Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.

NoteThe elders were the older men who led the people. They helped make the big choices.

31So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

32Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites." Agag came to him calmly. He thought, "The worst is over. I will not die."

Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

NoteThe old words say Agag came "delicately." That means he walked slowly and calmly. He thought he was safe now.

33Samuel said, "Your sword took children away from their mothers. Now your own mother will lose her child." Then Samuel cut Agag to pieces at Gilgal, before the LORD.

And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

34Then Samuel went home to Ramah. Saul went up to his own house in Gibeah.

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

NoteRamah was Samuel's hometown. Gibeah was Saul's hometown. They were only a few miles apart.

35Samuel never went to see Saul again for the rest of his life. But Samuel was sad about Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

NoteTo mourn is to be very sad about someone. It is the sad feeling people have when someone dies.