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.
Saul said to the Kenites, 'Go away! Leave and get away from the Amalekites, or I might destroy you along with them. You showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.' So the Kenites left and moved away from the Amalekites.
Saul warned the Kenite people to leave the area before he attacked the Amalekites, because he remembered their past kindness to Israel and didn't want to harm them.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative, the Amalekites had attacked the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt, prompting God to command their total destruction as a form of divine judgment for their hostility. Saul, as the newly anointed king of Israel, was executing this order during a military campaign but chose to spare the Kenites, a separate group who had shown kindness to the Israelites in the past. The Kenites were nomadic people possibly related to Moses' father-in-law, highlighting the importance of alliances and historical relationships in ancient Near Eastern conflicts.
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