Saul’s Continuing Wars

⁴⁷ So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of ^(A)Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of ^(B)Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he ^[a]harassed them.

⁶ When the people of Ammon saw that they ^(A)had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired ^(B)the Syrians of ^(C)Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of ^(D)Maacah one thousand men, and from ^(E)Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.

⁵² Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, ^(A)he took him for himself.

^27 (A)And the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

²³ And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord, ^(A)Hadadezer king of Zobah.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^(A)Zobah, as he went to recover ^(B)his territory at the River Euphrates.

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

13 Saul ^[a]reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

² And now here is the king, ^(A)walking before you; ^(B)and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

Saul Saves Jabesh Gilead

11 Then ^(A)Nahash the Ammonite came up and ^[a]encamped against ^(B)Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, ^(C)“Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

² And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring ^(D)reproach on all Israel.”

³ Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to ^[b]save us, we will come out to you.”

⁴ So the messengers came ^(E)to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And ^(F)all the people lifted up their voices and wept. ⁵ Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. ^6 (G)Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. ⁷ So he took a yoke of oxen and ^(H)cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, ^(I)“Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.”

And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out ^[c]with one consent. ⁸ When he numbered them in ^(J)Bezek, the children ^(K)of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ And they said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’ ” Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. ¹⁰ Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.”

¹¹ So it was, on the next day, that ^(L)Saul put the people ^(M)in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, ^(N)“Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ ^(O)Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”

¹³ But Saul said, ^(P)“Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today ^(Q)the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel.”