1 Samuel
Chapter 11
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite arrived and camped against Jabeshgilead. All the men of Jabesh told Nahash, “Make an agreement with us, and we will serve you.”
2 Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make an agreement with you only if I can gouge out everyone’s right eye, to shame all of Israel.”
3 The leaders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel for help. If no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”
4 The messengers arrived at Saul’s Gibeah and told the news to the people; everyone cried out loud and wept.
5 Saul returned from the fields, following the herd. He asked, “Why are the people crying?” They told him what happened to the men of Jabesh.
6 God’s Spirit came over Saul when he heard the news, and he became very angry.
7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them up, and sent the pieces throughout Israel by messengers, saying, “Whoever doesn’t follow Saul and Samuel will have their oxen treated the same way.” The people were afraid of God and agreed to come together.
8 When he counted them in Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000, and the men of Judah were 30,000.
9 They told the messengers, “Say to the men of Jabeshgilead, ‘By tomorrow, when the sun is hot, you will get help.’” The messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they were happy.
10 So the men of Jabesh told them, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you think is right.”
11 The next day, Saul divided the people into three groups. They attacked the enemy camp during the early morning and fought the Ammonites until it was hot. The remaining Ammonites ran away, and not even two of them stayed together.
12 The people said to Samuel, “Who questioned whether Saul would rule over us? Bring those men so we can kill them.”
13 Saul said, “No one will be killed today because God has given Israel victory today.”
14 Samuel told the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal and start the kingdom again there.”
15 All the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before God. They offered peace sacrifices to God in Gilgal, and Saul and all the Israelite men were very happy.