1 Samuel 11

Modern

Literal

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

¹Then Nahash^a the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty^b with us, and we will serve you.”

¹And Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make with us a covenant, and we will serve you.”

²But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you on one condition, that I may put out everyone’s right eye and bring reproach upon all Israel.”

²And Nahash the Ammonite answered to them, “On this I will cut with you, that I may put out of you every right eye and bring reproach on all Israel.”

³“Hold off for seven days,” replied the elders of Jabesh, “and let us send messengers throughout Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.”

³And the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And if no one is saving us, we will come out to you.”

⁴When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and relayed these words in the hearing of the people, they all wept aloud.

⁴And the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the ears of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

⁵Just then Saul was returning from the field, behind his oxen. “What troubles the people?” asked Saul. “Why are they weeping?” And they relayed to him the words of the men from Jabesh.

⁵And there was Saul coming behind the herd from the field, and Saul said, “What is to the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

⁶When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger.

⁶And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was kindled greatly.

⁷He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.”

Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out together as one man.

⁷And he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not go out to battle with Saul and Samuel, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the dread of YHWH fell on the people, and they came out as one man.

⁸And when Saul numbered them at Bezek, there were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000^a men of Judah.

⁸And he numbered them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’”

And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.

⁹And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘Tomorrow shall be to you salvation by the heat of the sun.’” And the messengers came and declared this to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.

¹⁰Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do with us whatever seems good to you.”

¹⁰And the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.”

¹¹The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

¹¹And it came to pass on the next day that Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and they struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it came to pass that those who survived were scattered, and not two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

¹²Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here so we can kill them!”

¹²And the people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said: Saul shall reign over us? Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”

¹³But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.”

¹³And Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today YHWH has done salvation in Israel.”

¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”

¹⁴And Samuel said to the people, “Come, and we go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”

¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

¹⁵And all the people went to Gilgal, and they made Saul king there before the face of YHWH in Gilgal. And they made sacrifices there of peace offerings before the face of YHWH, and there Saul rejoiced, and all the men of Israel, very greatly.