1 Samuel 11

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

11Nahash^ak the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead.^l And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty^m with us, and we will be subject to you.”

²But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the conditionⁿ that I gouge^o out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace^p on all Israel.”

³The elders^q of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue^r us, we will surrender^s to you.”

⁴When the messengers came to Gibeah^t of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept^u aloud. ⁵Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

⁶When Saul heard their words, the Spirit^v of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. ⁷He took a pair of oxen,^w cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel,^x proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone^y who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one.^{z 8}When Saul mustered^a them at Bezek,^b the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’ ” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. ¹⁰They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender^c to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

¹¹The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions;^d during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites^e and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

¹²The people then said to Samuel, “Who^f was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

¹³But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today,^g for this day the Lord has rescued^h Israel.”

¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgalⁱ and there renew the kingship.^j” ¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal^k and made Saul king^l in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.