1 T hen Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

O amonita Naás avançou contra a cidade de Jabes-Gileade e a cercou. E os homens de Jabes lhe disseram: “Faça um tratado conosco, e nos sujeitaremos a você”.

2 A nd Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.”

Contudo, Naás, o amonita, respondeu: “Só farei um tratado com vocês sob a condição de que eu arranque o olho direito de cada um de vocês e assim humilhe todo o Israel”.

3 T hen the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.”

As autoridades de Jabes lhe disseram: “Dê-nos sete dias para que possamos enviar mensageiros a todo o Israel; se ninguém vier nos socorrer, nós nos renderemos”.

4 S o the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

Quando os mensageiros chegaram a Gibeá, cidade de Saul, e relataram essas coisas ao povo, todos choraram em alta voz.

5 N ow there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

Naquele momento, Saul estava trazendo o gado do campo e perguntou: “O que há com o povo? Por que estão chorando?” Então lhe contaram o que os homens de Jabes tinham dito.

6 T hen the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused.

Quando Saul ouviu isso, o Espírito de Deus apoderou-se dele, e ele ficou furioso.

7 S o he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

Apanhou dois bois, cortou-os em pedaços e, por meio dos mensageiros, enviou os pedaços a todo o Israel, proclamando: “Isto é o que acontecerá aos bois de quem não seguir Saul e Samuel”. Então o temor do Senhor caiu sobre o povo, e eles vieram unânimes.

8 W hen he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

Quando Saul os reuniu em Bezeque, havia trezentos mil homens de Israel e trinta mil de Judá.

9 A nd they said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’” Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.

E disseram aos mensageiros de Jabes: “Digam aos homens de Jabes-Gileade: ‘Amanhã, na hora mais quente do dia, haverá libertação para vocês’”. Quando relataram isso aos habitantes de Jabes, eles se alegraram.

10 T herefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.”

Então, os homens de Jabes disseram aos amonitas: “Amanhã nós nos renderemos a vocês, e poderão fazer conosco o que quiserem”.

11 S o it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

No dia seguinte, Saul dividiu seus soldados em três grupos; entraram no acampamento amonita na alta madrugada e os mataram até a hora mais quente do dia. Aqueles que sobreviveram se dispersaram de tal modo que não ficaram dois juntos. Saul Confirmado como Rei

12 T hen the people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”

Então o povo disse a Samuel: “Quem foi que perguntou: ‘Será que Saul vai reinar sobre nós?’ Traze-nos esses homens, e nós os mataremos”.

13 B ut Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel.”

Saul, porém, disse: “Hoje ninguém será morto, pois neste dia o Senhor trouxe libertação a Israel”.

14 T hen Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”

Então Samuel disse ao povo: “Venham, vamos a Gilgal e reafirmemos ali o reino”.

15 S o all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Assim, todo o povo foi a Gilgal e proclamou Saul como rei na presença do Senhor. Ali ofereceram sacrifícios de comunhão ao Senhor, e Saul e todos os israelitas tiveram momentos de grande alegria.