6. When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God suddenly took control of him, and his anger burned furiously.
7. He took a team of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the land of Israel by messengers who said, “This is what will be done to the ox of anyone who doesn’t march behind Saul and Samuel.” As a result, the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out united.
8. Saul counted them at Bezek. There were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 men from Judah.
9. He told the messengers who had come, “Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’ ” So the messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.
10. Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want to us.”
11. The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
12. Afterward, the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them! ”
13. But Saul ordered, “No one will be executed this day, for today the Lord has provided deliverance in Israel.”