1 Samuel 11
A City Threatened with One Eye Put Out
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Nahash Besieges Jabesh
11:1About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and camped against Jabesh-gilead. All Jabesh’s men said to Nahash the Ammonite, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”
11:2Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you: I will gouge out every right eye among you and place a disgrace upon Israel.”
11:3Jabesh’s men said to him, “Give us seven days’ respite so that we may send messengers throughout Israel’s territory. If there is no one to save us, we will come out to you all.”
11:4The messengers came to Gibeah, to Saul, and spoke the words in the people’s ears. All the people raised their voices and wept.
11:5Saul was coming from the field after the morning. Saul said, “Why are the people weeping?” They recounted to him the words of Jabesh’s sons.
The Spirit Leaps upon Saul
11:6The Lord’s Spirit leaped upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger burned fiercely against them.
11:7He took two oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them by messengers’ hand throughout Israel’s territory, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel—they will do this to his oxen!” Terror from the Lord came upon Israel’s people, and they cried out as one man.
11:8Abiezek mustered them in Bama: all Israel’s men numbered six hundred thousand, and Judah’s men seventy thousand.
11:9He said to the messengers who had come, “Say this to Jabesh’s men: ‘Tomorrow, when the sun grows hot, you will have deliverance.’” The messengers came into the city and told Jabesh’s men, and they rejoiced.
11:10Jabesh’s men said to Nahash the Ammonite, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us what is good before you.”
11:11After the next day, Saul divided the people into three companies. They entered the middle of the camp during the morning watch and struck Ammon’s sons until the day grew hot. The survivors scattered, and no two of them were left together.
Saul Confirmed King at Gilgal
11:12The people said to Samuel, “Who said, ‘Saul will not reign over us’? Hand over the men so that we may put them to death.”
11:13Saul said, “No one shall die this day, for today the Lord has worked deliverance in Israel.”
11:14Samuel said to the people, “Let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”
11:15All the people went to Gilgal. There Samuel anointed Saul as king before the Lord at Gilgal and sacrificed sacrifices and peace offerings before the Lord. Samuel and all Israel rejoiced exceedingly.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.