hose words, and his anger
was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in
pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand
of messengers, saying, "Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and
after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen."

And the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one
man. And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were
three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they
said {360} to the messengers that came, "Thus shall ye say unto the
men of Jabesh-gilead, 'To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall
have deliverance.'"

And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were
glad. 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."

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

And the people said to Samuel, "Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign
over us?' bring the men, that we may put them to death."

And Saul said, "There shall not a man be put to death this day: for
to-day the Lord hath wrought deliverance in Israel."

SAUL THE WARRIOR.

_Battles and Victories_.

Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two
years over Israel. And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel;
whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mount of
Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and
the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan
smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the
Philistines heard of it. And Saul {361} blew the trumpet throughout
all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." And all Israel heard
that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel
also was held in abomination by the Philistines. And the people were
gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with
Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and
people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they
came up and pitched in Michmash, eastward of Beth-aven. When the men
of Israel saw that they w