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 Defeats the Ammonites
1Now Nahash the Ammonite went up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us#Literally “Cut with us a covenant” and we will serve you.” 2But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty#Literally “I will cut” with you, by gouging out the right eye of each of you, so that I can make it a disgrace for all Israel.” 3So the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Leave us alone for seven days so that we may send messengers in all the territory of Israel, and if there is no deliverer for us, then we will come out to you.” 4When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported these things to#Literally “they spoke the words in the ears of” the people. Then all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5Just then,#Literally “And look/behold” Saul was coming from the field behind the cattle. Saul said, “What is the matter with the people, that they are weeping?” So they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh.
6Then the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry.#Literally “his nose became very hot” 7So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them into pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever is not going out after Saul and after Samuel, so will it be done to his oxen.” Then the fear of Yahweh fell on the people and they went out as one man. 8He mustered them at Bezek; the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah were thirty thousand. 9They said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you will say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow deliverance for you will come when the sun is hot.’ ”#Literally “at the heating of the sun” When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced. 10The men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.”#Literally “as all of the good that is in your eyes” 11And the#Literally “and it happened the” next day Saul placed the people in three divisions. Then they came into the middle of the camp at the early morning watch#Literally “at the night watch of the morning” and struck down the Ammonites#Literally “Ammon” until the heat of the day. It happened that the remainder were scattered so that no two among them remained together.#Literally “and they did not remain among them two together” 12Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is the one who asked, ‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Give the men to us that we may kill them.” 13But Saul said, “No one will be put to death on this day, because today#Literally “the day” Yahweh has provided deliverance in Israel.”
14Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal, and let us renew the kingship there.” 15So all the people went to Gilgal and they made Saul king there before Yahweh in Gilgal. They sacrificed fellowship offerings there before Yahweh. Then Saul rejoiced there greatly along with all the men of Israel.
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