Nahash

1Nahash the Ammonite brought his army and camped around the town of Jabesh-gilead. The men of Jabesh said to him, "Make a deal with us. We will work for you."

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.

NoteThe Ammonites were a people who lived east of Israel. They and Israel often fought each other. Nahash was their king. Camping around a town was a way to attack it. No food or help could get in. The town would slowly grow hungry and give up.

2Nahash said, "I will only make a deal one way. I will put out the right eye of every one of you. That will shame all of Israel."

And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.

NoteA soldier held his shield with his left hand. The shield covered his left eye. So he aimed with his right eye. Taking that eye meant a man could never fight again. Nahash wanted every Israelite to feel weak and ashamed.

3The leaders of Jabesh said, "Give us seven days. Let us send messengers all over Israel. If nobody comes to save us, we will give ourselves up to you."

And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.

NoteThe King James says "coasts of Israel." That does not mean the seashore. It means the whole land, all the way to the edges.

4The messengers came to Gibeah, the town where Saul lived. They told the people what had happened. All the people cried out loud.

Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.

NoteThe King James word "tidings" just means news.

5Just then Saul came in from the field, walking behind his oxen. Saul asked, "What is wrong? Why are the people crying?" So they told him what the men of Jabesh had said.

And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.

NoteOxen are big, strong cattle. Farmers used them to pull plows through the dirt. Saul was doing farm work when the news came.

6When Saul heard this, the Spirit of God came on him. Saul became very angry.

And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.

Note"The Spirit of God came upon Saul" means God gave Saul power. It made him ready and strong for a hard job.

7Saul took two oxen and cut them into pieces. He sent the pieces all over Israel with messengers. The message said, "Anyone who does not come out and follow Saul and Samuel will lose his oxen like this." Then a great fear from the LORD came over the people. They all came out together.

And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

NoteThis looks strange to us, but it was a message. Every family who saw a piece knew it was a call to come fight. It also warned them what they would lose if they stayed home.

8Saul counted the men at a place called Bezek. There were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.

And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

NoteJudah was one of the family groups of Israel, and the biggest one. That is why its men are counted on their own.

9They told the messengers, "Say this to the men of Jabesh-gilead. Tomorrow, before the day gets hot, help will come." The messengers went back and told the men of Jabesh. The men were glad.

And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

NotePeople had no clocks. They told time by the sun. "By the time the sun be hot" means the middle of the morning.

10So the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Tomorrow we will come out to you. Then you may do whatever you want with us."

Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you.

11The next day Saul split his men into three groups. Early in the morning they went into the enemy camp. They fought the Ammonites until the hottest part of the day. The ones who lived ran away in every direction. No two of them were left together.

And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.

NoteThe night was split into parts called watches. Guards took turns keeping watch in each part. The morning watch was the last part, just before the sun came up. It was still dark, so the enemy did not see them coming.

12"Then Nahash, king of the Ammonites, came to fight you. You said to me, 'No. We want a king to rule us.' But God was already your king."

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.

NoteNahash was king of Ammon, a country close to Israel. His army came to attack an Israelite town. That is when the people asked Samuel for a king.

1Later on, the king of the people of Ammon died. His son Hanun became the new king.

And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.

NoteAmmon was a small country right next to Israel. When a king died, his son usually became the next king.

2David said, "Hanun's father Nahash was kind to me. So I will be kind to Hanun." David sent some of his men to tell Hanun he was sorry his father had died. The men came to the land of Ammon.

Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

NoteNahash was the old king of Ammon. He had been good to David years before, so David wanted to be good to his son.

3But the leaders of Ammon said to Hanun their king, "Do you really think David sent these men to honor your father? David sent them to look at our city. They are spies. They want to take it from us."

And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?

NoteA spy is someone who sneaks into a place to learn its secrets. The leaders thought David's men were counting soldiers and looking at walls.

4So Hanun grabbed David's men. He shaved off half of each man's beard. He cut their clothes off at the hips. Then he sent them away.

Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

NoteMen in that land grew long beards and were proud of them. Shaving off half a man's beard made him look silly. Cutting his clothes short left him uncovered. It was a way of saying, we do not respect your king.

5Someone told David what had happened. The men felt very ashamed. So David sent word to them. He said, "Stay in the town of Jericho until your beards grow back. Then come home."

When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

NoteJericho was a town near the edge of Israel. David let his men wait there so no one would see them until they looked like themselves again.

1Some time later, Nahash the king of the Ammonites died. His son became king after him.

Now it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

NoteThe Ammonites were a people who lived east of Israel. They were neighbors, and often enemies.

2David said, "I will be kind to Hanun, the son of Nahash. His father was kind to me." So David sent men to comfort Hanun about his father. David's men came to Hanun in the land of Ammon to comfort him.

And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

NoteKings sent trusted men to speak for them. These men carried the king's own words.

3But the leaders of Ammon said to Hanun, "Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending these men? His servants came to look over your land. They want to spy it out and take it."

But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?

4So Hanun grabbed David's men and shaved off their beards. He cut their long robes off at the hips. Then he sent them away.

Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away.

NoteMen in that land grew beards all their lives. A beard was a sign of being a grown man. Shaving it off was a way to shame someone.

5Someone went and told David what had happened to his men. David sent word to meet them, because they felt very ashamed. The king said, "Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back. Then come home."

Then there went certain, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

NoteTheir long robes had been cut short, so their legs showed. That felt very shameful to them. Jericho was a city near the river, on their way home.