1 Samuel 15:4-9
New English Translation
4 So Saul assembled[a] the army[b] and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5 Saul proceeded to the city[c] of Amalek, where he set an ambush[d] in the wadi.[e] 6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away[f] with them. After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to[g] Shur, which is next to Egypt. 8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people[h] with the sword. 9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings,[i] and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value.[j] They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised[k] and worthless.
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- 1 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “caused the people to hear.”
- 1 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “people.”
- 1 Samuel 15:5 tc The LXX has the plural here, “cities.”
- 1 Samuel 15:5 tc The translation follows the LXX and Vulgate which assume a reading וַיָּאָרֶב (vayyaʾarev, “and he set an ambush,” from the root אָרַב [ʾarav] with quiescence of alef) rather than the MT, which has וַיָּרֶב (vayyareb, “and he contended,” from the root רִיב [riv]).
- 1 Samuel 15:5 tn That is, “the dry stream bed.”
- 1 Samuel 15:6 tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate which assume a reading אֶסְפָךְ (ʾesfak, “I sweep you away,” from the root סָפָה [safah]) rather than the MT אֹסִפְךָ (ʾosifeka, “I am gathering you,” from the root אָסַף [ʾasaf]).
- 1 Samuel 15:7 tn Heb “[as] you enter.”
- 1 Samuel 15:8 tn Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.
- 1 Samuel 15:9 tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. We should probably read וְהַמַּשְׂמַנִּים (vehammasmannim, “the fat ones”) rather than the MT וְהַמִּשְׂנִים (vehammisnim, “the second ones”). However, if the MT is retained, the sense may be as the Jewish commentator Kimchi supposed: the second-born young, thought to be better than the firstlings. (For discussion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 123-24.)
- 1 Samuel 15:9 tn Heb “good.”
- 1 Samuel 15:9 tc The MT has here the very odd form נְמִבְזָה (nemivzah), but this is apparently due to a scribal error. The translation follows instead the Niphal participle נִבְזָה (nivzah).
1 Samuel 15:4-9
International Standard Version
4 Saul summoned the people and mustered them in Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men from Judah. 5 Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley. 6 Saul told the Kenites, “Withdraw from the Amalekites so that I don’t destroy you with them, for you showed kindness to all the Israelis when they departed from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites. 7 Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He captured alive Agag king of Amalek, but he completely destroyed all the people, executing them with swords. 9 Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle—the fattened animals and lambs—along with all that was good. They were not willing to completely destroy them, but they did completely destroy everything that was worthless and inferior.
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