וַיַּעַל נָחָשׁ הָעַמּוֹנִי וַיִּחַן עַל יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל אַנְשֵׁי יָבֵישׁ אֶל נָחָשׁ כְּרָת לָנוּ בְרִית וְנַעַבְדֶךָּ

Nahash the Amonite king came up and encamped against Yavesh Gilad, but had not yet begun fighting against the city; and all the men of Yavesh said to Nahash: Establish a covenant with us, and we will serve you. We are willing to accept your rule.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם נָחָשׁ הָעַמּוֹנִי בְּזֹאת אֶכְרֹת לָכֶם בִּנְקוֹר לָכֶם כָּל עֵין יָמִין וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ חֶרְפָּה עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

Nahash the Amonite said to them: I will establish it with you in accordance with this: When you gouge out for you every right eye; and I will set it, the gouged out eyes, as a disgrace upon all Israel.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו זִקְנֵי יָבֵישׁ הֶרֶף לָנוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וְנִשְׁלְחָה מַלְאָכִים בְּכֹל גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִם אֵין מוֹשִׁיעַ אֹתָנוּ וְיָצָאנוּ אֵלֶיךָ

The elders of Yavesh said to him, Nahash: Please, let us be for seven days, to discuss the matter, and we will send messengers throughout the borders of Israel, and if there is no one to save us we will go out from the city and surrender to you.

וַיָּבֹאוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים גִּבְעַת שָׁאוּל וַיְדַבְּרוּ הַדְּבָרִים בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם וַיִּשְׂאוּ כָל הָעָם אֶת קוֹלָם וַיִּבְכּוּ

The messengers came to Givat Shaul, the city of Giva in the portion of Benjamin, which is here called after Saul, and they spoke these words in the ears of the people, and all the people raised their voice and cried over the apparently hopeless situation.

וְהִנֵּה שָׁאוּל בָּא אַחֲרֵי הַבָּקָר מִן הַשָּׂדֶה וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל מַה לָּעָם כִּי יִבְכּוּ וַיְסַפְּרוּ לוֹ אֶת דִּבְרֵי אַנְשֵׁי יָבֵישׁ

And behold, Saul came home from his daily labor, after the oxen from the field. Although he had been anointed king, this appointment had no immediate practical effect, and therefore Saul continued to work in the field. And Saul said: What is with the people that they are crying? They related to him the words of the men of Yavesh.

וַתִּצְלַח רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים עַל שָׁאוּל כְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיִּחַר אַפּוֹ מְאֹד

The spirit of God, a spirit of strength and leadership, rested upon Saul when he heard these words, and his wrath was greatly enflamed.

וַיִּקַּח צֶמֶד בָּקָר וַיְנַתְּחֵהוּ וַיְשַׁלַּח בְּכָל גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיַד הַמַּלְאָכִים לֵאמֹר אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ יֹצֵא אַחֲרֵי שָׁאוּל וְאַחַר שְׁמוּאֵל כֹּה יֵעָשֶׂה לִבְקָרוֹ וַיִּפֹּל פַּחַד ה' עַל הָעָם וַיֵּצְאוּ כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד

He took a pair of oxen, a pair of animals tied together with a yoke, and cut them in pieces and sent those pieces in the hand of messengers throughout the border of Israel, saying: He who does not go forth to war after Saul and after Samuel, so shall be done to his oxen. This would be a heavy financial penalty. Fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they emerged as one man. For many years, leaders of Israel had at most recruited volunteers to go to war; whereas Saul issued threats with the full force of law, based on the premise that now there was a government and a king in charge of Israel.

וַיִּפְקְדֵם בְּבָזֶק וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וְאִישׁ יְהוּדָה שְׁלֹשִׁים אָלֶף

Saul had to gather his men to a single place where he could form them into an army. He counted them at Bezek, the name of a place. Alternatively, he numbered them by means of bezikim, gravel stones, in order to avoid counting the people directly. Each brought a small stone, and these were counted instead of the soldiers themselves. The children of Israel were three hundred thousand and the men of Judah, thirty thousand. Due to their size, ability, and geographical distance from the battlefield, the men of Judah were counted separately.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ לַמַּלְאָכִים הַבָּאִים כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן לְאִישׁ יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד מָחָר תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם תְּשׁוּעָה כְּחֹם הַשָּׁמֶשׁ וַיָּבֹאוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים וַיַּגִּידוּ לְאַנְשֵׁי יָבֵישׁ וַיִּשְׂמָחוּ

When this very large army had been counted, they said to the messengers who had come: So you shall say to the men of Yavesh Gilad: Tomorrow there will be salvation for you as the sun grows hot, toward noon. The messengers came and told the men of Yavesh, and they rejoiced.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אַנְשֵׁי יָבֵישׁ מָחָר נֵצֵא אֲלֵיכֶם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם לָנוּ כְּכָל הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶם

The men of Yavesh said to the Amonites: Tomorrow we will go out and surrender to you, and you will do to us in accordance with everything that is good in your eyes. This deliberate deception was designed to take advantage of the element of surprise, as well as to play for time, as the men of Yavesh knew that help would arrive only the following day.

וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיָּשֶׂם שָׁאוּל אֶת הָעָם שְׁלֹשָׁה רָאשִׁים וַיָּבֹאוּ בְתוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֶה בְּאַשְׁמֹרֶת הַבֹּקֶר וַיַּכּוּ אֶת עַמּוֹן עַד חֹם הַיּוֹם וַיְהִי הַנִּשְׁאָרִים וַיָּפֻצוּ וְלֹא נִשְׁאֲרוּ בָם שְׁנַיִם יָחַד

It was on the next day; Saul arranged the people of his army in three separate companies, and they came into the midst of the Amonite camp at the morning watch, the last third of the night. The journey to Yavesh Gilad, east of the Jordan was not that long. They apparently traveled by night and were already marching in the vicinity of the Amonite camp toward morning. And they smote Amon until the heat of the day. It never occurred to the Amonites that preparations for battle were underway, or indeed that there would be resistance of any kind. Therefore, the Amonites had camped complacently, in full confidence of their superior strength, under the impression that the residents of Yavesh Gilad were in the depths of despair. Consequently, the early attack took them utterly by surprise, to the extent that the Israelites were still slaughtering their men several hours later. It was those who remained scattered, and there did not remain among them two together. Each Amonite soldier fled alone to his land, which was not far away.

וַיֹּאמֶר הָעָם אֶל שְׁמוּאֵל מִי הָאֹמֵר שָׁאוּל יִמְלֹךְ עָלֵינוּ תְּנוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים וּנְמִיתֵם

After the triumph that Saul had wrought for Israel, which greatly raised their prestige, the people said to Samuel, who was present: Who was it who said: Shall Saul reign over us? Give the men who disparaged our king over, and we will put them to death for rebelling against the monarch.

וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לֹא יוּמַת אִישׁ בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה ה' תְּשׁוּעָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל

But Saul said: Let not a man be put to death on this day, as today the Lord has performed salvation for Israel. Certainly those base fellows had acted improperly, but Saul was satisfied upon seeing that his authority had been accepted by all. Now he wished to rejoice rather than take revenge.

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל הָעָם לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה הַגִּלְגָּל וּנְחַדֵּשׁ שָׁם הַמְּלוּכָה

Samuel said to the people: Come, let us go once again to Gilgal, and let us renew the kingship there. We already established the monarchy in principle, but it was not completely established. Now they can invest it with the appropriate legitimacy.

וַיֵּלְכוּ כָל הָעָם הַגִּלְגָּל וַיַּמְלִכוּ שָׁם אֶת שָׁאוּל לִפְנֵי ה' בַּגִּלְגָּל וַיִּזְבְּחוּ שָׁם זְבָחִים שְׁלָמִים לִפְנֵי ה' וַיִּשְׂמַח שָׁם שָׁאוּל וְכָל אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד מְאֹד

The entire people went to Gilgal, and there they crowned Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal, and there they presented peace offerings before the Lord. Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly there, as everyone had now accepted Saul’s kingship.