Old Testament · History

1 Samuel chapter 11

the came up and set up camp against . All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a with us, and we’ll serve you.”But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I’ll make a deal with you on one condition — I . That’s how I’ll all of Israel.”The of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout all of Israel’s territory. If no one comes to us, we’ll come out and surrender to you.”When the messengers arrived at — Saul’s hometown — and reported the situation to the people, everyone .Just then, Saul was . Saul asked, “What’s wrong with everyone? Why are they crying?” So they told him what the men of Jabesh had reported.When Saul heard their report, , and .He took a pair of oxen, , and sent them throughout all of Israel’s territory by messengers, saying, “Whoever doesn’t march out behind Saul and Samuel — this is what will be done to his oxen!” fell on the people, and they came out .He counted them at : the men of Israel numbered , and the men of Judah thirty thousand.They told the messengers who had come, “Say this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be .’” When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, they were .So the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we’ll come out to you, and .”The next day, Saul organized the army into . They broke into the Ammonite camp during and struck them down until the heat of the day. The survivors scattered — .Then the people said to Samuel, “Who was it that said, ‘Should Saul really be our king?’ and we’ll put them to death!”But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, because today in Israel.”Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to and there .”So all the people went to Gilgal, and there, , they made Saul king. They offered in Yahweh’s presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel .