The Story of Amalek's Curse

Exodus 17:8-16

"Now remember, Beth," Beth's father told her as he left for work one morning. "Find little Annie Banks at recess today and yank her pigtails until she cries."
"All right, Father," said Beth. But when he had left for work, Beth asked her mother why Father had said to do such a nasty thing.
"It's quite simple, really," said Beth's mother. "Your father works with Annie Banks' father and had an argument with him yesterday about which one of them should take their new secretary out to lunch first. That's why he wants you to punish Annie Banks."
"But isn't it wrong to fight with someone because your parent hates her parent?" Beth asked.
"The Bible has something to say about that," said Beth's mother. And this is the story she told:

Once, there was a group of people called Amalek and they wanted to fight with the people of Israel.
Moses told his people to gather an army and go out to fight the next day. When the day to fight came, Moses stood on top of a hill and held his arms out with his magic stick of God in his hand.
When ever Moses held his hands out, his friends started to win, and when he lowered them, Amalek started to win. It was hard for Moses to hold his hands up all day, so he had some of his friends help him until the sun set.
By that time, Israel's army had killed Amalek's army with their swords.
That night, God said to Moses, "Write this story down and make sure that people never forget it. I'm going to make sure that nobody in Heaven knows about Amalek."
Then Moses made an altar and God swore that he would be at war with Amalek and all the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and other children of Amalek forever.

"Wow," said Beth. "God really hated all those people's children forever because of what their parents did?"
"That's right, Dear One," said her mother.
Beth thought about this for a moment. Then she smiled, hugged her mother, and ran out the door to the school bus stop. All her questions had been answered -- and she had some pigtails to pull!