1 Samuel

11 And after about a month Nahash the ʽAmmonite came up and beleaguered Jabesh in Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash “Make terms with us, and we will be your subjects.” 2 And Nahash the ʽAmmonite said to them “I will make these terms with you, to put out every right eye among you and lay it on all Israel for a slur.” 3 And the elders of Jabesh said to him “Give us seven days’ truce to send men through all the territory of Israel, and if there is no one who rescues us we will come out to you.” 4 And the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and gave the message publicly, and all the people raised their voices and wept. 5 And in came Saul from the field, behind his oxen; and Saul said “What is the matter with the people that they are weeping?” and they recounted to him the story of the men of Jabesh. 6* And the spirit of Jehovah seized upon Saul when he heard this story, and he was very angry, 7 and took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent the pieces through all the territory of Israel by messengers with the message “He who does not come out with Saul and Samuel shall have his oxen treated so.” And the dread of Jehovah fell upon the people, and they came out like one man; 8 and he mustered them at Bezek, and there were three hundred thousand of the sons of Israel and thirty thousand of the men of Judah. 9 And they said to the messengers that had come “Say to the men of Jabesh in Gilead, Tomorrow you shall have help when the sun grows hot’”; and the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.

10 And the men of Jabesh said “Tomorrow we will come out to you and you shall do with us just as you think best.” 11 But on the next day Saul arranged the men in three columns, and they came into the camp in the morning watch and killed ʽAmmonites till the day grew hot; and as for those who were left, they were scattered and there were not left among them two together. 12 And the people said to Samuel “Who was it that said ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ give us those men to put to death.” 13 But Saul said “Nobody shall be put to death on this day; for today Jehovah has made victory in Israel.”

14 And Samuel said to the people “Come, let us go to the Gilgal and renew the kingship there”; 15 and all the people went to the Gilgal and made Saul king there before Jehovah at the Gilgal, and sacrificed welfare-sacrifices there before Jehovah; and Saul and all the men of Israel had a great rejoicing there.