THE FIRST BOOK OF
SAMUEL,
1 Samuel 11 ©
Nahash besieges Jabesh in Gilead, v. 1, etc. He will not make peace with the besieged but upon hard and grievous conditions, 2. The besieged require seven days respite to consult thereof, 3. Which having obtained, they crave the assistance of their brethren, 4. Saul, hearing of the unreasonable terms, is extremely provoked, 5. He advises with himself how to raise the siege, 6. With an army of 330.0 men, 8. He sends word to the men of Jabesh, that he intended to raise their siege, 9. Who deceive their besiegers, 10. How Saul raised the siege at Jabesh, 11. The people are ready to slay those, who refused to embrace Saul for their king, 12. But Saul will not suffer it, 13. He is invested in the kingdom at Gilgal, 14.
THEN Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against 1Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.
And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, 2On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a 3reproach upon all Israel.
And 4the elders of Jabesh said unto him, 5Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we 6will come out to thee.
¶Then came the messengers to 7Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
And, behold, 8Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
9And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and 10his anger was kindled greatly.
And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and 11sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of 12messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after 13Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And 14the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they camea out with one consent.
And when he 15numbered them 16in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
And 17they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
Therefore the men of Jabesh 18said, 19To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you.
And it was so on 20the morrow, that Saul put the people in three 21companies; and they came into the midst 22of the host in 23the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
¶And the people said unto Samuel, Whobis he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.
And Saul said, 24There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.
Then 25said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew 26the kingdom there.
And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king 27before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.