1 Samuel 11:3-5

The Voice

⁴ When the messengers reached Gibeah, where Saul was ruling, they told the people about Nahash and his cruelty, and it made them weep out loud. ⁵ Now Saul was just coming in from plowing in the fields when he heard the commotion.

So they told the king about the predicament and request from the people of Jabesh.