1 Samuel 11:4-10

New Catholic Bible

⁴ When the messengers arrived at Gibeah, Saul’s city, and they proclaimed these things in the hearing of the people, all the people cried out and wept. ⁵ Saul was just then coming back from the field behind his oxen, and asked, “What is wrong that the people are weeping?” So they told him what the men from Jabesh had said.

⁶ When he heard this report, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Saul and he burned with rage.^{[a] 7} He took a pair of oxen and cut them into pieces. He sent them by messengers all throughout the territory of Israel. He said, “Whoever does not follow Saul and Samuel will have this done to his oxen.” The fear of the Lord came upon the people so that they came out as if they were one man.

⁸ When Saul counted the Israelites who were in Bezek, there were three hundred thousand of them, and thirty thousand from Judah. ⁹ They said to the messengers who had come to them, “Say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, before the sun warms up, you will have help.’ ” The messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh who were elated. ¹⁰ So the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us what you see fit.”