1 Samuel 10:27-11:15
New American Standard Bible
27 But certain [a](A)useless men said, “How can this one save us?” And they despised him and (B)did not bring him a gift. But [b]he kept silent about it.
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11 Now (C)Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged (D)Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make (E)a covenant with us and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I will make it with you on this condition, (F)that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and thereby I will inflict (G)a disgrace on all Israel.” 3 So (H)the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Allow us seven days to send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.” 4 Then the messengers came (I)to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people (J)raised their voices and wept.
5 Now behold, Saul was coming from the field (K)behind the oxen, and Saul said, “What is the matter with the people that they weep?” So they reported to him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6 Then (L)the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and [c]he became very angry. 7 He then took a yoke of oxen and (M)cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “(N)Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, the same shall be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out (O)as one person. 8 He [d]counted them in (P)Bezek; and the (Q)sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah, thirty thousand. 9 They said to the messengers who had come, “This is what you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be saved.’” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they rejoiced. 10 Then the men of Jabesh said, “(R)Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good [e]to you.” 11 The next morning Saul put the people (S)in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch, and struck and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “(T)Who is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ [f](U)Bring the men, so that we may put them to death!” 13 But Saul said, “(V)Not a single person shall be put to death this day, for today (W)the Lord has brought about [g]victory in Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, and let us go to (X)Gilgal and (Y)renew the kingdom there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king (Z)before the Lord in Gilgal. There they also (AA)offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 10:27 Or wicked; lit sons of Belial
- 1 Samuel 10:27 A mutilated DSS fragment of uncertain reliability (4QSama) adds here that Nahash (11:1) gouged out the right eyes of Israelites
- 1 Samuel 11:6 Lit his anger burned exceedingly
- 1 Samuel 11:8 Lit mustered
- 1 Samuel 11:10 Lit in your sight
- 1 Samuel 11:12 Lit Give
- 1 Samuel 11:13 Or deliverance in
1 Samuel 10:27-11:15
Lexham English Bible
27 However, some worthless men[a] said, “How can this man deliver us?” So they despised him and brought no gift to him, but he kept silent.[b]
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11 Now Nahash the Ammonite went up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us[c] and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty[d] with you, by gouging out the right eye of each of you, so that I can make it a disgrace for all Israel.” 3 So the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Leave us alone for seven days so that we may send messengers in all the territory of Israel, and if there is no deliverer for us, then we will come out to you.” 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported these things to[e] the people. Then all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 Just then,[f] Saul was coming from the field behind the cattle. Saul said, “What is the matter with the people, that they are weeping?” So they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry.[g] 7 So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them into pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever is not going out after Saul and after Samuel, so will it be done to his oxen.” Then the fear of Yahweh fell on the people and they went out as one man. 8 He mustered them at Bezek; the Israelites[h] were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah were thirty thousand. 9 They said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you will say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow deliverance for you will come when the sun is hot.’”[i] When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced. 10 The men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.”[j] 11 And the[k] next day Saul placed the people in three divisions. Then they came into the middle of the camp at the early morning watch[l] and struck down the Ammonites[m] until the heat of the day. It happened that the remainder were scattered so that no two among them remained together.[n] 12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is the one who asked, ‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Give the men to us that we may kill them.” 13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death on this day, because today[o] Yahweh has provided deliverance in Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal, and let us renew the kingship there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal and they made Saul king there before Yahweh in Gilgal. They sacrificed fellowship offerings there before Yahweh. Then Saul rejoiced there greatly along with all the men of Israel.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 10:27 Literally “sons of wickedness”
- 1 Samuel 10:27 The Dead Sea Scrolls contained a nearly complete scroll of 1 and 2 Samuel, the oldest Hebrew manuscript extant. There is a story therein that provides a setting for the acts of Nahash in 1 Samuel 11, which otherwise seems to occur obtrusively. This story may be translated: “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, harshly tormented the Gadites and the Reubenites, and he gouged out all their right eyes, and struck terror and dread in Israel. No Israelite beyond the Jordan remained whose right eye was not gouged out by Nahash king of the Ammonites, except for seven thousand men who had fled from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh Gilead. About a month later …” This early text leaves off with 11:1 at this point
- 1 Samuel 11:1 Literally “Cut with us a covenant”
- 1 Samuel 11:2 Literally “I will cut”
- 1 Samuel 11:4 Literally “they spoke the words in the ears of”
- 1 Samuel 11:5 Literally “And look/behold”
- 1 Samuel 11:6 Literally “his nose became very hot”
- 1 Samuel 11:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Samuel 11:9 Literally “at the heating of the sun”
- 1 Samuel 11:10 Literally “as all of the good that is in your eyes”
- 1 Samuel 11:11 Literally “and it happened the”
- 1 Samuel 11:11 Literally “at the night watch of the morning”
- 1 Samuel 11:11 Literally “Ammon”
- 1 Samuel 11:11 Literally “and they did not remain among them two together”
- 1 Samuel 11:13 Literally “the day”
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