Now ^aNahash the Ammonite went up and besieged ^bJabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make ^ca 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, ^athat I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and thereby I will inflict ^ba disgrace on all Israel.” 3 So ^athe 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 ^ato Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people ^braised their voices and wept.

5 Now behold, Saul was coming from the field ^abehind 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 ^athe Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and ¹he became very angry. 7 He then took a yoke of oxen and ^acut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “^bWhoever 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 ^cas one person. 8 He ¹counted them in ^aBezek; and the ^bsons 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, “^aTomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good ¹to you.” 11 The next morning Saul put the people ^ain 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, “^aWho is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ ^1bBring the men, so that we may put them to death!” 13 But Saul said, “^aNot a single person shall be put to death this day, for today ^bthe LORD has brought about ¹victory in Israel.”

14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, and let us go to ^aGilgal and ^brenew the kingdom there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king ^abefore the LORD in Gilgal. There they also ^boffered sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.