1 Samuel 11
11
Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh Gilead
1Nahash was the king of Ammon. He and his army went up to Jabesh Gilead. They surrounded it and got ready to attack it. All the men of Jabesh spoke to Nahash. They said, “Make a peace treaty with us. Then we’ll be under your control.”
2Nahash, the king of Ammon, replied, “I will make a peace treaty with you. But I’ll do it only on one condition. You must let me put out the right eye of every one of you. I want to bring shame on the whole nation of Israel.”
3The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days to report back to you. We’ll send messengers all through Israel. If no one comes to save us, we’ll hand ourselves over to you.”
4The messengers came to Gibeah of Saul. They reported to the people the terms Nahash had required. Then all the people wept out loud. 5Just then Saul was coming in from the fields. He was walking behind his oxen. He asked, “What’s wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” He was told what the men of Jabesh had said.
6When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully on him. He became very angry. 7He got a pair of oxen and cut them into pieces. He sent the pieces by messengers all through Israel. They announced, “You must follow Saul and Samuel. If you don’t, this is what will happen to your oxen.” The terror of the Lord fell on the people. So all of them came together with one purpose in mind. 8Saul brought his army together at Bezek. There were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 from Judah.
9The messengers who had come were told, “Go back and report to the men of Jabesh Gilead. Tell them, ‘By the hottest time of the day tomorrow, you will be rescued.’ ” The messengers went and reported it to the men of Jabesh. It made those men very happy. 10They said to the people of Ammon, “Tomorrow we’ll hand ourselves over to you. Then you can do to us whatever you like.”
11The next day Saul separated his men into three groups. While it was still dark, they broke into the camp of the Ammonite army. They kept killing the men of Ammon until the hottest time of the day. Those who got away were scattered. There weren’t two of them left together anywhere.
The People Agree to Have Saul as King
12The people said to Samuel, “Who asked, ‘Is Saul going to rule over us?’ Turn these men over to us. We’ll put them to death.”
13But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today! After all, this is the day the Lord has rescued Israel.”
14Then Samuel said to the people, “Come on. Let’s go to Gilgal. There we’ll agree again to have Saul as our king.” 15So all the people went to Gilgal. There, with the Lord as witness, they made Saul their king. There they sacrificed friendship offerings to the Lord. And there Saul and all the Israelites celebrated with great joy.
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1 Samuel 11: NIrV
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1 Samuel 11
11
Saul’s Deliverance of Jabesh-gilead
1Nahash # DSS, LXX read About a month later, Nahash # 1Sm 12:12 the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. # 1Sm 12:12; 31:11 All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty # 1Kg 20:34; Ezk 17:13 with us, and we will serve you.”
2Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I’ll make one with you on this condition: that I gouge out everyone’s right eye # Nm 16:14 and humiliate all Israel.” # 1Sm 17:26; Ps 44:13
3“Don’t do anything to us for seven days,” the elders of Jabesh said to him, “and let us send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If no one saves us, we will surrender to you.”
4When the messengers came to Gibeah, # 1Sm 10:26; 15:34 Saul’s hometown, and told the terms to # Lit in the ears of the people, all wept aloud. # Gn 27:38; Jdg 2:4 5Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. “What’s the matter with the people? Why are they weeping? ” Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh.
6When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God suddenly took control of him, # Jdg 14:6; 1Sm 10:10 and his anger burned furiously. 7He took a team of oxen, cut them in pieces, # Jdg 19:29 and sent them throughout the land of Israel by messengers who said, “This is what will be done to the ox of anyone who doesn’t march behind Saul and Samuel.” # Jdg 21:5,8,10 As a result, the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out united. # Jdg 20:1
8Saul counted them at Bezek. # Jdg 1:5 There were 300,000 # LXX reads 600,000 # Jdg 20:2 Israelites and 30,000 # DSS, LXX read 70,000 men from Judah. 9He told the messengers who had come, “Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’ ” So the messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.
10Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want # Lit do what is good in your eyes to us.”
11The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. # Jdg 7:16 During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
Saul’s Confirmation as King
12Afterward, the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not # Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss omit not reign over us? # 1Sm 10:27 Give us those men so we can kill them! ” # Lk 19:27
13But Saul ordered, “No one will be executed this day, for today the Lord has provided deliverance in Israel.” # Ex 14:13; 1Sm 19:5
14Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal, so we can renew the kingship there.” 15So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in the Lord’s presence # 1Sm 10:17 they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings # 1Sm 10:8 in the Lord’s presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel greatly rejoiced.
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