1 Samuel 11

1 Kemudian Nahas, raja Amon, mengerahkan tentaranya lalu mengepung kota Yabesh di wilayah Gilead. Penduduk Yabesh mengajukan usul begini kepada Nahas, "Buatlah perjanjian dengan kami, maka kami akan takluk kepadamu."

About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon [led his army across the Jordan River, and they] surrounded Jabesh [city] in [the] Gilead [region]. But all the men of Jabesh [went and] said to Nahash, “Make an agreement/treaty with us [not to kill us], and then we will let you rule us.”

2 Nahas menjawab, "Dengan syarat inilah aku mau membuat perjanjian, 'Mata kananmu masing-masing akan kucungkil sebagai penghinaan terhadap seluruh Israel!'"

Nahash replied, “I will do that if you do one thing. Allow us to gouge out all the right eyes of your people. By doing that we will cause the people [in other countries] to despise all you Israeli people.”

3 Kemudian pemimpin-pemimpin kota Yabesh menjawab, "Kami minta tempo selama tujuh hari supaya kami dapat mengirim utusan ke seluruh tanah Israel. Jika tidak ada yang mau menolong kami, maka kami akan menyerah kepadamu."

The leaders of Jabesh replied, “Do not attack us for the next seven days. During that time, we will send messengers throughout Israel [to tell them what you are demanding]. If no one will help us, then we will (surrender to you/allow you to do to us whatever you want).”

4 Demikianlah para utusan itu sampai di Gibea, tempat tinggal Saul. Ketika mereka menyampaikan kabar itu, menangislah rakyat karena putus asa.

[Being very confident that his army was very superior, Nahash agreed. So the leaders of Jabesh sent messengers throughout Israel]. When the messengers came to Gibeah, which was [the city] where Saul lived, and they told the people there about the situation, everyone started to cry.

5 Pada saat itu Saul baru saja datang dari ladangnya dengan membawa sapinya. Ia pun bertanya, "Ada apa? Mengapa semua orang menangis?" Lalu kepadanya diberitahu kabar yang dibawa utusan dari Yabesh itu.

At that time, Saul was plowing in the field. When he returned home, he asked, “Why are all the people [crying]?” So they told him what the messengers from Jabesh had reported.

6 Mendengar itu, Saul dikuasai oleh Roh Allah.

Then God’s Spirit came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry [because of what Nahash wanted to do].

7 Dengan sangat marah ia mengambil dua ekor sapi lalu dipotong-potongnya menjadi banyak potongan. Kemudian potongan-potongan itu dikirimkannya ke seluruh tanah Israel dengan perintah begini, "Siapa yang tidak maju berperang mengikuti Saul dan Samuel, sapi-sapinya akan dipotong-potong begini juga!" Bangsa Israel takut kepada apa yang mungkin dilakukan TUHAN, maka semua orang, tanpa kecuali, siap maju berperang bersama-sama.

He took two of his oxen [and killed them] and cut them into pieces. Then he sent messengers [carrying those pieces] throughout Israel to tell people this message: “Saul says that [he cut this ox in pieces, and that he] will do the same thing to the oxen of anyone who refuses to come with him and Samuel to fight [the army from Ammon]!” Then Yahweh caused all the people of Israel to be afraid of what Saul might do to them (OR, of what Yahweh might do to them) [if they did not go and help Saul]. So the men all gathered together.

8 Mereka dikumpulkan dan dihitung di Bezek: Ada 300.000 orang Israel, dan 30.000 orang Yehuda.

When Saul gave them all weapons at Bezek, he saw that there were 300,000 Israeli men there, as well as 30,000 men from the tribe of Judah.

9 Setelah itu kepada utusan dari Yabesh diberitahu begini: "Katakanlah kepada penduduk Yabesh, bahwa besok pagi sebelum tengah hari, mereka akan mendapat pertolongan." Ketika penduduk Yabesh menerima pesan itu, sangat senanglah mereka.

So Saul sent messengers back to the people at Jabesh to tell them, “We will rescue/save you by noontime tomorrow.” When the people of Jabesh heard that message, they were very joyful/happy.

10 Kata mereka kepada Nahas, "Besok kami akan menyerah, dan bolehlah kauperlakukan sesuka hatimu."

Then the men of Jabesh told [Nahash], “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and then you can do to us whatever you want to.”

11 Besoknya, pagi-pagi, Saul membagi orang-orangnya menjadi tiga pasukan. Dan ketika fajar menyingsing mereka menyerbu ke tengah-tengah perkemahan orang Amon itu dan menyerang mereka. Sebelum tengah hari, tentara Saul telah mengalahkan musuh. Orang-orang Amon yang berhasil lolos, tercerai-berai sehingga tak ada dua orang yang dapat lari bersama-sama.

But before the sun rose the next morning, Saul [and his army arrived. He] divided them into three groups. They rushed into the camp of the soldiers from Ammon, and attacked them. By noontime they had killed most of them, and those who were not killed scattered. Each of them who ran away ran away alone.

12 Kemudian bertanyalah bangsa Israel kepada Samuel, "Di manakah orang-orang yang tadinya berani mengatakan bahwa Saul tidak layak menjadi raja kita? Hendaknya Bapak serahkan kepada kami, supaya kami bunuh."

Then the people [of Jabesh] said to Samuel, “Where are those men who said that they did not want Saul to be our king? Bring them here, and we will kill them!”

13 Tetapi Saul berkata, "Seorang pun tidak boleh dibunuh pada hari ini, karena pada hari ini TUHAN telah menyelamatkan Israel."

But Saul replied, “[No], we are not going to execute anyone today, because this is the day that Yahweh has saved us Israeli people. [It is a day to rejoice, not to kill anyone].”

14 Lalu berkatalah Samuel kepada mereka, "Marilah kita semua pergi ke Gilgal dan meresmikan Saul sebagai raja kita."

Then Samuel said to the people, “Let’s all go to Gilgal, and there we will again proclaim [that Saul is] our king.”

15 Demikianlah mereka semua pergi ke Gilgal, dan di tempat ibadat itu Saul diresmikan sebagai raja. Mereka mempersembahkan kurban perdamaian, dan Saul serta seluruh bangsa Israel merayakan peristiwa itu.

So they went to Gilgal. There, knowing that Yahweh was watching, they proclaimed that Saul was their king. Then they offered sacrifices to enable them to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. And Saul and all the other Israeli people were very happy.