1 Samuel 15:5

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Saul came to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the wadi.

Hebrew Names Version
Sha'ul came to the city of `Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

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

Lexham English Bible
Then Saul came up to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi.

English Standard Version
And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.

New Century Version
Then Saul went to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the ravine.

New English Translation
Saul proceeded to the city of Amalek, where he set an ambush in the wadi.

Amplified Bible
Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

New American Standard Bible
And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Saul came to a citie of Amalek, and set watch at the riuer.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

Contemporary English Version
then led them to a valley near one of the towns in Amalek, where they got ready to make a surprise attack.

Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul arrived at the city of ‘Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.

Darby Translation
And Saul came to the city of the Amalekites, and set an ambush in the valley.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Saul went to the city of Amalek and waited in the valley.

George Lamsa Translation
And Saul came to a city of the Amalekites, and issued a directive in the valley.

Good News Translation
Then he and his men went to the city of Amalek and waited in ambush in a dry riverbed.

Literal Translation
And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in a torrent-bed.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan Saul came to the cite of the Amalechites, he set an hynder watch by the ryuer,

American Standard Version
And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

Bible in Basic English
And Saul came to the town of Amalek, and took up his position in the valley secretly.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Saul came vnto a citie of Amalek, and set watch in the brooke.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

King James Version (1611)
And Saul came to a citie of Amalek, and laid waite in the valley.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Saul came to the cities of Amalec, and laid wait in the valley.

English Revised Version
And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

Berean Standard Bible
Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne Saul cam to the citee of Amalech, he made redi buyschementis in the stronde.

Young's Literal Translation
And Saul cometh in unto a city of Amalek, and layeth wait in a valley;

Update Bible Version
And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

World English Bible
Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

New King James Version
And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

New Living Translation
Then Saul and his army went to a town of the Amalekites and lay in wait in the valley.

New Life Bible
Saul came to the city of Amalek and hid, waiting in the valley.

New Revised Standard
Saul came to the city of the Amalekites and lay in wait in the valley.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Saul came as far as the city of Amalek, - and stirred up strife in the ravine.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when Saul was come to the city of Amalec, he laid ambushes in the torrent.

Revised Standard Version
And Saul came to the city of Am'alek, and lay in wait in the valley.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

Contextual Overview

¹Samuel said to Saul, " God sent me to anoint you king over his people, Israel. Now, listen again to what God says. This is the God -of-the-Angel-Armies speaking: "‘I'm about to get even with Amalek for ambushing Israel when Israel came up out of Egypt. Here's what you are to do: Go to war against Amalek. Put everything connected with Amalek under a holy ban. And no exceptions! This is to be total destruction—men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys—the works.'" Saul called the army together at Telaim and prepared them to go to war—two hundred companies of infantry from Israel and another ten companies from Judah. Saul marched to Amalek City and hid in the canyon. Then Saul got word to the Kenites: "Get out of here while you can. Evacuate the city right now or you'll get lumped in with the Amalekites. I'm warning you because you showed real kindness to the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." And they did. The Kenites evacuated the place. Then Saul went after Amalek, from the canyon all the way to Shur near the Egyptian border. He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive. Everyone else was killed under the terms of the holy ban. Saul and the army made an exception for Agag, and for the choice sheep and cattle. They didn't include them under the terms of the holy ban. But all the rest, which nobody wanted anyway, they destroyed as decreed by the holy ban. Then God spoke to Samuel: "I'm sorry I ever made Saul king. He's turned his back on me. He refuses to do what I tell him." Samuel was angry when he heard this. He prayed his anger and disappointment all through the night. He got up early in the morning to confront Saul but was told, "Saul's gone. He went to Carmel to set up a victory monument in his own honor, and then was headed for Gilgal." By the time Samuel caught up with him, Saul had just finished an act of worship, having used Amalekite plunder for the burnt offerings sacrificed to God . As Samuel came close, Saul called out, " God 's blessings on you! I accomplished God 's plan to the letter!" Samuel said, "So what's this I'm hearing—this bleating of sheep, this mooing of cattle?" "Only some Amalekite loot," said Saul. "The soldiers saved back a few of the choice cattle and sheep to offer up in sacrifice to God . But everything else we destroyed under the holy ban." "Enough!" interrupted Samuel. "Let me tell you what God told me last night." Saul said, "Go ahead. Tell me." And Samuel told him. "When you started out in this, you were nothing—and you knew it. Then God put you at the head of Israel—made you king over Israel. Then God sent you off to do a job for him, ordering you, ‘Go and put those sinners, the Amalekites, under a holy ban. Go to war against them until you have totally wiped them out.' So why did you not obey God ? Why did you grab all this loot? Why, with God 's eyes on you all the time, did you brazenly carry out this evil?" Saul defended himself. "What are you talking about? I did obey God . I did the job God set for me. I brought in King Agag and destroyed the Amalekites under the terms of the holy ban. So the soldiers saved back a few choice sheep and cattle from the holy ban for sacrifice to God at Gilgal—what's wrong with that?" Then Samuel said, Do you think all God wants are sacrifices— empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said No to God 's command, he says No to your kingship. Saul gave in and confessed, "I've sinned. I've trampled roughshod over God 's Word and your instructions. I cared more about pleasing the people. I let them tell me what to do. Oh, absolve me of my sin! Take my hand and lead me to the altar so I can worship God !" But Samuel refused: "No, I can't come alongside you in this. You rejected God 's command. Now God has rejected you as king over Israel." As Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed at his priestly robe and a piece tore off. Samuel said, " God has just now torn the kingdom from you, and handed it over to your neighbor, a better man than you are. Israel's God-of-Glory doesn't deceive and he doesn't dither. He says what he means and means what he says." ³ Saul tried again, "I have sinned. But don't abandon me! Support me with your presence before the leaders and the people. Come alongside me as I go back to worship God ." Samuel did. He went back with him. And Saul went to his knees before God and worshiped. Then Samuel said, "Present King Agag of Amalek to me." Agag came, dragging his feet, muttering that he'd be better off dead. Samuel said, "Just as your sword made many a woman childless, so your mother will be childless among those women!" And Samuel cut Agag down in the presence of God right there in Gilgal. Samuel left immediately for Ramah and Saul went home to Gibeah. Samuel had nothing to do with Saul from then on, though he grieved long and deeply over him. But God was sorry he had ever made Saul king in the first place. ⁴Saul called the army together at Telaim and prepared them to go to war—two hundred companies of infantry from Israel and another ten companies from Judah. Saul marched to Amalek City and hid in the canyon. ⁶ Then Saul got word to the Kenites: "Get out of here while you can. Evacuate the city right now or you'll get lumped in with the Amalekites. I'm warning you because you showed real kindness to the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." And they did. The Kenites evacuated the place. ⁷Then Saul went after Amalek, from the canyon all the way to Shur near the Egyptian border. He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive. Everyone else was killed under the terms of the holy ban. Saul and the army made an exception for Agag, and for the choice sheep and cattle. They didn't include them under the terms of the holy ban. But all the rest, which nobody wanted anyway, they destroyed as decreed by the holy ban.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

laid wait: or, fought, 1 Samuel 15:5

Reciprocal: Joshua 8:4 - lie in wait

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 15:7
God continued, "I'm the same God who brought you from Ur of the Chaldees and gave you this land to own."

Genesis 15:8
Abram said, "Master God , how am I to know this, that it will all be mine?"

Deuteronomy 10:22
When your ancestors entered Egypt, they numbered a mere seventy souls. And now look at you—you look more like the stars in the night skies in number. And your God did it.

1 Chronicles 27:23
David didn't keep a count of men under the age of twenty, because God had promised to give Israel a population as numerous as the stars in the sky. Joab son of Zeruiah started out counting the men, but he never finished. God's anger broke out on Israel because of the counting. As it turned out, the numbers were never entered into the court records of King David.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Saul came to a city of Amalek,.... With his army, perhaps the nearest city of it to the land of Israel; though some think that Amalek was the name of the city, and was the metropolis of the nation, and had its name from thence: and laid wait in the valley; which was near the city, to intercept the inhabitants when they should come out against him: or "he contended" w as some render it, he fought with them there; the Targum,

"he ordered his army,''

set them in battle array, or pitched his camp there.

w וירב "et certavit Pagninus"; "ut contenderet cum eo", Junius & Tremellius.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 15:5. Saul came to a city of Amalek — I believe the original should be translated, and Saul came to the city Amalek; their capital being called by the name of their tribe.