Why does Bible teach that we should not kill, but then has several stories in it about god killing people for whatever reason, and we're suppose to praise him for it, hypocritical?

In reality, God does not kill people out of anger or spite because those are negative emotions which God does not have. God is pure Love. Only human beings carry negativity.

The stories told in the Bible were people's interpretations of what they saw or experienced. So, in those cases where God supposedly killed somebody, it was actually a person assuming (or guessing) that it was God's action/fault.

Actually, the correct translation from the original Hebrew is "thou shalt not murder." Murder versus killing: murder is never justified, killing is. Examples include wars that were designed to protect a nation or bring eventual peace, whichever of the female judges drove the tent spike through the evil ruler's head to prevent travesty. Murder is what Esther was trying to prevent when she begged for the safety of her uncle from Mordecai's plots to kill off the Jews and Stephen the first martyr which wasn't condoned ever.

Hope that helps. It's also good to read Thomas Aquinas's work on conditions for a just war.

God created everything. Like a potter, He has the right to destroy it. His mercy says that He does not. But, ImaCatholic is right. He has the right to kill, and, for Him, it is not wrong, just as it is not wrong for the state to execute (having judged).
What people in the west these days do not understand (or refuse to understand, because they do not want to admit their rebellious state) is the difference between indiscriminate taking of life and judgement. Whether you like it or not, if you do wrong, you are judged and sentenced. Saying the judge is unfair is your prerogative, but does not negate the fact that you are wrong.
The same with God. If you disobey, rebel, sin, whatever you wish to term it, you WILL be judged, but by a completely fair system (unlike our human ones). The system also has built into it that the Son of the Judge has already paid for the rebellion of humans, and, if they acknowledge that point, they can be spared.
Like Nineveh. Jonah was sent to tell them that unless they repented, they would suffer the same fate as cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah. They did, in fact, repent, and were spared. Then old Jonah got upset because he looked bad, and he thought it wasn't fair that they got spared after all the wrong they did.
And that is precisely what I have seen one some other questions coming out of similar corners: how can God forgive people who have done really rotten things?
Well, you have to live with it, boys and girls. He CAN judge, and He will. But He has already endured the suffering of paying for the sin of the world Himself, in the form of His Son, so He can also extend mercy to as many turn to Him.

Are you hypocritical when you tell your dog to eat on the floor and not on the table but you go ahead and eat on the table? No, there are different standards for you and a dog.

God is infinitely greater then us than we are greater than a dog and God has totally different standards than the ones He has given us. He truly looks at everything from a universal viewpoint.

Properly translated from the original Hebrew, God's Commandment to us is: You shall not murder. Look at a Jewish version of the Ten Commandments: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Torah/Ten_Cmds/ten_cmds.html

The commandment "You shall not kill" forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. The murderer and those who cooperate voluntarily in murder commit a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance. (Gen 4:10)

Killing in self defense, a just war, and lawful capital punishment are not considered murder.

However in today's modern society, the capability of rendering the offender incapable of doing harm - without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically non-existent.

With love in Christ.

Basically, humans are not supposed to kill others unless it God's will, or something.

Atheist always jeer at Christians for shoving their region down others throats... yet they do the same with their idealize. Remember this when typing more questions about Christians being hypocritical.

do unto others as you want done unto you. we turn against God make a mockery out of him. forgot about him. sin. only talk to him when we need him. we have sex. curse. fight. have thoughts of killing and some of us kill. now what if God did us how we do him. what if he didnt listen to our prayers because he felt we werent fair to him. what if he beat us down? what if he cursed us? what if he forgets about us and turns his back? what if he says they did me this way so ill do them same. where would we be? remember its not how we feel its how God feels and what he says. no matter our oppion what he says goes. y question it. do u dare question ur mother? why rebell against it? do u want to spend ur eternal life in hell. when u get to the book of life and jesus says why did u kill them...and you say because they killed "whoever"....what do u think his answer will be?...welcome to the kingdom of heaven? i think not!

We are not God.He kills who he wants,that is how we all die,only if God kills us.

God can replace a life...We cannot.

When god kills, such as at sodom, He does it to rid the world of wickedness...
Like he will again soon...

(Psalm 37:34) Hope in Jehovah and keep his way, And he will exalt you to take possession of the earth. When the wicked ones are cut off, you will see [it].

The obedient are protected...the wicked are removed.

The Bible makes it clear that Yahweh feels no need or obligation to follow the rules He sets for others. He is also very lenient to His followers, especially when it comes to killing and genocide, so long as they didn't kill another one of His followers.

For a detailed explanation and Biblical support of my answer, please see:

http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/1136924