| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Nahash the Ammonite marched against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us and we will serve you." | 1Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you." |
| 2But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "The only way I will make a treaty with you is if you let me gouge out the right eye of every one of you and in so doing humiliate all Israel!" | 2Nahash the Ammonite replied, "I'll make one with you on this condition: that I gouge out everyone's right eye and humiliate all Israel." |
| 3The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Leave us alone for seven days so that we can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one who can deliver us, we will come out voluntarily to you." | 3"Don't do anything to us for seven days," the elders of Jabesh said to him, "and let us send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If no one saves us, we will surrender to you." |
| 4When the messengers went to Gibeah (where Saul lived) and informed the people of these matters, all the people wept loudly. | 4When the messengers came to Gibeah, Saul's hometown, and told the terms to the people, all wept aloud. |
| 5Now Saul was walking behind the oxen as he came from the field. Saul asked, "What has happened to the people? Why are they weeping?" So they told him about the men of Jabesh. | 5Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. "What's the matter with the people? Why are they weeping?" Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh. |
| 6The Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry. | 6When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God suddenly took control of him, and his anger burned furiously. |
| 7He took a pair of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said, "Whoever does not go out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!" Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they went out as one army. | 7He took a team of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the land of Israel by messengers who said, "This is what will be done to the ox of anyone who doesn't march behind Saul and Samuel." As a result, the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they went out united. |
| 8When Saul counted them at Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000 strong and the men of Judah numbered 30,000. | 8Saul counted them at Bezek. There were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 men from Judah. |
| 9They said to the messengers who had come, "Here's what you should say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: 'Tomorrow deliverance will come to you when the sun is fully up.'" When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh Gilead, they were happy. | 9He told the messengers who had come, "Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: 'Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.'" So the messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced. |
| 10The men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you and you can do with us whatever you wish." | 10Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want to us." |
| 11The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them down until the hottest part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained together. | 11The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together. |
| 12Then the people said to Samuel, "Who were the ones asking, 'Will Saul reign over us?' Hand over those men so we may execute them!" | 12Afterward, the people said to Samuel, "Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them!" |
| 13But Saul said, "No one will be killed on this day. For today the LORD has given Israel a victory!" | 13But Saul ordered, "No one will be executed this day, for today the LORD has provided deliverance in Israel." |
| 14Samuel said to the people, "Come on! Let's go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there." | 14Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let's go to Gilgal, so we can renew the kingship there." |
| 15So all the people went to Gilgal, where they established Saul as king in the LORD's presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the LORD's presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy. | 15So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in the LORD's presence they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings in the LORD's presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel greatly rejoiced. |
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