15 One day Shemuel said to Sha’ul, “It was Yahweh who sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel back then, so now, listen to what he has to say.[ref] 2 Commander Yahweh says, ‘I’ve noticed what the Amalekites did to Israel when they came out of Egypt—they attacked them as they passed by.[ref] 3 So go now and attack Amalek and destroy them completely without compassion, putting men and women, children and infants to death, along with their cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”

4 So Sha’ul summoned the people to Telaim and counted them: two hundred thousand foot soldiers as well as ten thousand warriors from Yehudah. 5 Then Sha’ul took them to Amalek city, and they lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then he warned the Kenites, “You all need to move out from among the Amalekites, so that you all won’t be attacked along with them. That’s because you all were kind to our ancestors when they came out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved out from among the Amalekites.

7 Then Sha’ul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur (near Egypt), 8 and they captured King Agag alive but killed everyone else with swords. 9 However, as well as sparing Agag, they took the best sheep and cattle