Saul Rescues the Town of Jabesh in Gilead
1 About this time, King Nahash of Ammon came with his army and surrounded the town of Jabesh in Gilead. The people who lived there told Nahash, “If you will sign a peace treaty with us, you can be our ruler, and we will pay taxes to you.”
2 Nahash answered, “Sure, I'll sign a treaty! But not before I insult Israel by poking out the right eye of every man who lives in Jabesh.”
3 The town leaders said, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers everywhere in Israel to ask for help. If no one comes here to save us, we will surrender to you.”
4 Some of the messengers went to Gibeah, Saul's hometown. They told what was happening at Jabesh, and everyone in Gibeah started crying. 5 Just then, Saul came in from the fields, walking behind his oxen.
“Why is everyone crying?” Saul asked.
They told him what the men from Jabesh had said. 6 Then the Spirit of God suddenly took control of Saul and made him furious. 7 Saul killed two of his oxen, cut them up in pieces, and gave the pieces to the messengers. He told them to show the pieces to everyone in Israel and say, “Saul and Samuel are getting an army together. Come and join them. If you don't, this is what will happen to your oxen!”
The Lord made the people of Israel terribly afraid. So all the men came together 8 at Bezek. Saul had them organized and counted. There were 300,000 from Israel and 30,000 from Judah.
9 Saul and his officers sent the messengers back to Jabesh with this promise: “We will rescue you tomorrow afternoon.” The messengers went back to the people at Jabesh and told them that they were going to be rescued.
Everyone was encouraged! 10 So they told the Ammonites, “We will surrender to you tomorrow, and then you can do whatever you want to.”
11 The next day, Saul divided his army into three groups and attacked before daylight. They started killing Ammonites and kept it up until afternoon. A few Ammonites managed to escape, but they were scattered far from each other.
12 The Israelite soldiers went to Samuel and demanded, “Where are the men who said they didn't want Saul to be king? Bring them to us, and we will put them to death!”
13 “No you won't!” Saul told them. “The Lord rescued Israel today, and no one will be put to death.”
Saul Is Accepted as King
14 “Come on!” Samuel said. “Let's go to Gilgal and make an agreement that Saul will continue to be our king.”
15 Everyone went to the place of worship at Gilgal, where they agreed that Saul would be their king. Saul and the people sacrificed animals to ask for the Lord's blessing, and they had a big celebration.
Sauls sakauj amoniešus
1 Amonietis Nāhāšs devās augšup un uzslēja nometni pret Jābēš-Gileādu. Tad visi Jābēšas vīri sacīja Nāhāšam: “Slēdz ar mums derību, un mēs tev kalposim!” 2 Bet amonietis Nāhāšs tiem atbildēja: “Es ar jums slēgšu tikai šādu derību – jums visiem izdurs labo aci. Tā es uzkraušu pazemojumu visam Israēlam.” 3 Un Jābēšas vecajie viņam teica: “Atvēli mums septiņas dienas, un mēs sūtīsim vēstnešus pa visu Israēlu. Ja mums nebūs glābēja, tad mēs iziesim pie tevis.” 4 Kad vēstneši nonāca Saula Gibā un stāstīja to ļaudīm, visa tauta skaļi raudāja. 5 Un, redzi, Sauls nāca no lauka nopakaļ vēršiem, un viņš jautāja: “Kas noticis ļaudīm, ka viņi raud?” Un tie viņam atkārtoja Jābēšas vīru sacīto. 6 Kad Sauls to dzirdēja, pār viņu spēji nāca Kunga Gars, un viņš iedegās lielās dusmās. 7 Viņš ņēma iejūga vēršus, sakapāja gabalos un ar vēstnešiem izsūtīja tos pa visu Israēlu, sacīdams: “Kurš nesekos Saulam un Samuēlam, tā notiks ar viņa vēršiem!” Un ļaudīm uzkrita Kunga šausmas, un tie izgāja visi kā viens. 8 Kad viņš tos sapulcināja Bezekā, Israēla dēlu bija trīs simti tūkstoši un Jūdas vīru – trīsdesmit tūkstoši. 9 Un tie sacīja atnākušajiem vēstnešiem: “Tā sakiet Jābēš-Gileādas vīriem: rīt, kad saule sāks karsēt, jums būs glābšana.” Tad vēstneši gāja un stāstīja to Jābēšas vīriem, un tie līksmoja. 10 Un Jābēšas vīri sacīja amoniešiem: “Rīt mēs iziesim pie jums, dariet mums, kā jums tīk.”
11 Nākamajā dienā Sauls sadalīja ļaudis trīs pulkos, tie ienāca nometnē rīta sardzes laikā un kāva amoniešus līdz dienas karstumam. Atlikušie tika izklīdināti, tā ka nepalika pat divi kopā. 12 Tad tauta sacīja Samuēlam: “Kurš teica: vai tad Sauls valdīs pār mums? Dod šurp tos vīrus, un mēs tos nonāvēsim!” 13 Bet Sauls teica: “Neviens šajā dienā netiks nonāvēts, jo šodien Kungs ir devis Israēlam glābšanu!”
14 Tad Samuēls teica tautai: “Nāciet, iesim uz Gilgālu un tur atjaunosim ķēniņa valdīšanu!” 15 Un visa tauta devās uz Gilgālu, un tur, Gilgālā, Kunga priekšā iecēla Saulu par ķēniņu. Tur viņi pienesa miera upurus Kunga priekšā, un tur Sauls un visi Israēla vīri varen līksmoja.
