Chapter 11

1And Nahash the Ammonite went up and camped against Jabesh-Gilead. And all the people of Jabesh-Gilead said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we shall serve you."   אוַיַּ֗עַל נָחָשׁ֙ הָֽעַמּוֹנִ֔י וַיִּ֖חַן עַל־יָבֵ֣שׁ גִּלְעָ֑ד וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ כָּל־אַנְשֵׁ֚י יָבֵישׁ֙ אֶל־נָחָ֔שׁ כְּרָת־לָ֥נוּ בְרִ֖ית וְנַעַבְדֶֽךָּ:
2And Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this (condition) will I make a treaty with you, by gouging out the right eye of every one of you, and I shall make it a reproach against all Israel."   בוַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם נָחָשׁ֙ הָעַמּוֹנִ֔י בְּזֹאת֙ אֶכְרֹ֣ת לָכֶ֔ם בִּנְק֥וֹר לָכֶ֖ם כָּל־עֵ֣ין יָמִ֑ין וְשַׂמְתִּ֥יהָ חֶרְפָּ֖ה עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
the right eye (We explain this) literally, but the Midrash Agadah (MS. 14:7) (explains it figuratively): He said, “Bring me your Torah which was given by the right hand (of the Almighty),” (Deut. 33:2), and I shall burn it, because He wrote therein: “An Ammonite and a Moabite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord” (Deut. 23:3).   כל עין ימין  כמשמעו ומדרש אגדה (ילקוט שמעוני רמז קיא): הביאו לי ספר תורתכם שנתנה מימין, ואשרפה, על שכתוב בו (דברים כג ד): לא יבא עמוני ומואבי וגו':
a reproach an insult.   חרפה  גדוף:
3And the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days respite, that we may send messengers throughout the entire border of Israel, and if there is no one to save us, we shall come out to you."   גוַיֹּאמְר֨וּ אֵלָ֜יו זִקְנֵ֣י יָבֵ֗ישׁ הֶ֚רֶף לָ֙נוּ֙ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֔ים וְנִשְׁלְחָה֙ מַלְאָכִ֔ים בְּכֹ֖ל גְּב֣וּל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְאִם־אֵ֥ין מוֹשִׁ֛יעַ אֹתָ֖נוּ וְיָצָ֥אנוּ אֵלֶֽיךָ:
4And the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke the words in the ears of the people. And the people raised their voice and cried.   דוַיָּבֹ֚אוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים֙ גִּבְעַ֣ת שָׁא֔וּל וַיְדַבְּר֥וּ הַדְּבָרִ֖ים בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיִּשְׂא֧וּ כָל־הָעָ֛ם אֶת־קוֹלָ֖ם וַיִּבְכּֽוּ:
5And behold, Saul came after the cattle from the field. And Saul said, "What is troubling the people, that they cry?" And they told him the words of the people of Jabesh.   הוְהִנֵּ֣ה שָׁא֗וּל בָּ֣א אַחֲרֵ֚י הַבָּקָר֙ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁא֔וּל מַה־לָּעָ֖ם כִּ֣י יִבְכּ֑וּ וַיְסַ֨פְּרוּ־ל֔וֹ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י אַנְשֵׁ֥י יָבֵֽישׁ:
after the cattle after the appointed time that the cattle come in from the field.   אחרי הבקר  אחר זמן מועד ביאת הבקר מן השדה:
6And a spirit of God passed over Saul when he heard these words, and his wrath was kindled greatly.   ווַתִּצְלַ֚ח רֽוּחַ־אֱלֹהִים֙ עַל־שָׁא֔וּל כְּשָׁמְע֖וֹ (כתיב בְּשָׁמְע֖וֹ) אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַיִּ֥חַר אַפּ֖וֹ מְאֹֽד:
7And he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the entire border of Israel in the hand of the messengers, saying, "Whosoever does not go forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall be done to his oxen," and a fear from the Lord fell upon the people, and they went forth as one man.   זוַיִּקַּח֩ צֶ֨מֶד בָּקָ֜ר וַֽיְנַתְּחֵ֗הוּ וַיְשַׁלַּ֞ח בְּכָל־גְּב֣וּל יִשְׂרָאֵל֘ בְּיַ֣ד הַמַּלְאָכִ֣ים | לֵאמֹר֒ אֲשֶׁר֩ אֵינֶ֨נּוּ יֹצֵ֜א אַחֲרֵ֚י שָׁאוּל֙ וְאַחַ֣ר שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל כֹּ֥ה יֵעָשֶֹ֖ה לִבְקָר֑וֹ וַיִּפֹּ֚ל פַּֽחַד־יְהֹוָה֙ עַל־הָעָ֔ם וַיֵּצְא֖וּ כְּאִ֥ישׁ אֶחָֽד:
to his oxen to his animals.   לבקרו  לבהמותיו:
8And he counted them in Bezek, and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.   חוַֽיִּפְקְדֵ֖ם בְּבָ֑זֶק וַיִּהְי֚וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ שְׁל֣שׁ מֵא֣וֹת אֶ֔לֶף וְאִ֥ישׁ יְהוּדָ֖ה שְׁלשִׁ֥ים אָֽלֶף:
And he counted them in Bezek Our Rabbis said: (He counted them) with fragments of earthenware. (I. e., ‘bezek’ is a common noun, not the name of a place.) (Yoma 22b) (The following does not appear in certain editions of Rashi.) Another explanation is that ‘b’vezek’ means ‘with pebbles,’ i.e., he took a pebble from each one, and counted them, similar to “And he counted them with lambs” (infra 15:4), which means that he took a lamb from each one, and counted them therewith, just as they would count them with half shekels. In (Prov. 26: 8) “like a pebble for throwing in a slingshot,” the Targum uses the word ‘bizka.’ And in Midrash Yelam’denu (T. Ki Thissa 9, Buber 8) “And he counted them with lambs.” When they were poor, they were counted with pebbles; when they became rich, they were counted with lambs. Another explanation is that ‘bezek’ is the name of a place, mentioned (in Judges 1:5): “And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek.”   ויפקדם בבזק  רבותינו אמרו (יומא כב ב): בשברי חרסים (ס"א, אינו). לשון אחר: בבזק, באבנים, שנטל מכל אחד אבן ומנאם, כמו (לקמן טו ד): ויפקדם בטלאים, שנטל מכל אחד טלה ומנאם בהם, כמו שהיו מונים אותם בחצאי שקלים, ותרגם (משלי כו ח): כצרור אבן במרגמה, היך בזקא דכיפא בקלעא. ובילמדנו: ויפקדם בטלאים, כד אינון מסכנין, באלין בזקייא, כד אינון עתירים, באלין אימריא. לשון אחר: 'בבזק', שם מקום הנזכר בספר שופטים (א ה) וימצאו את אדוני בזק בבזק:
9And they said to the messengers who had come, "So shall you say to the people of Jabesh-Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.' " And the messengers came and told to the people of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.   טוַיֹּאמְר֞וּ לַמַּלְאָכִ֣ים הַבָּאִ֗ים כֹּ֚ה תֹֽאמְרוּן֙ לְאִישׁ֙ יָבֵ֣ישׁ גִּלְעָ֔ד מָחָ֛ר תִּהְיֶֽה־לָכֶ֥ם תְּשׁוּעָ֖ה כְּחֹ֣ם (כתיב בְּחֹ֣ם) הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ הַמַּלְאָכִ֗ים וַיַּגִּ֛ידוּ לְאַנְשֵׁ֥י יָבֵ֖ישׁ וַיִּשְׂמָֽחוּ:
10And the people of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we shall come out to you, and you may do to us all that is good in your eyes."   יוַֽיֹּאמְרוּ֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י יָבֵ֔ישׁ מָחָ֖ר נֵצֵ֣א אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם לָּ֔נוּ כְּכָל־הַטּ֖וֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶֽם:
11And it was on the morrow, that Saul put the people into three contingents, and they came into the midst of the camp during the morning watch, and they smote the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it was, that those remaining, scattered, and no two of them remained together.   יאוַיְהִ֣י מִֽמָּחֳרָ֗ת וַיָּ֨שֶׂם שָׁא֣וּל אֶת־הָעָם֘ שְׁלשָׁ֣ה רָאשִׁים֒ וַיָּבֹ֚אוּ בְתוֹךְ־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה֙ בְּאַשְׁמֹ֣רֶת הַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיַּכּ֥וּ אֶת־עַמּ֖וֹן עַד־חֹ֣ם הַיּ֑וֹם וַיְהִ֚י הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙ וַיָּפֻ֔צוּ וְלֹ֥א נִשְׁאֲרוּ־בָ֖ם שְׁנַ֥יִם יָֽחַד:
12And the people said to Samuel, "Whosoever says, 'Saul will reign over us?' give over the people and let us put them to death. "   יבוַיֹּ֚אמֶר הָעָם֙ אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל מִ֣י הָאֹמֵ֔ר שָׁא֖וּל יִמְלֹ֣ךְ עָלֵ֑ינוּ תְּנ֥וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים וּנְמִיתֵֽם:
Whosoever says derisively, “Saul will reign over us?” give them over, and let us put them to death.   מי האומר  בלשון בזיון, שאול ימלוך עלינו, תנו אותם ונמיתם:
will reign as a question.   ימלוך עלינו  בתמיה:
13And Saul said, "No man shall be put to death on this day, for today, the Lord has wrought deliverance in Israel."   יגוַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁא֔וּל לֹֽא־יוּמַ֥ת אִ֖ישׁ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֥י הַיּ֛וֹם עָשָֹֽה־יְהֹוָ֥ה תְּשׁוּעָ֖ה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
14And Samuel said to the people, "Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew there the kingdom."   ידוַיֹּ֚אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם לְכ֖וּ וְנֵלְכָ֣ה הַגִּלְגָּ֑ל וּנְחַדֵּ֥שׁ שָׁ֖ם הַמְּלוּכָֽה:
And Samuel said, etc.,… and let us renew there the kingdom Since previously, there was opposition in the matter, and now they were all agreeable.   ויאמר שמואל וגו' ונחדש שם המלוכה  לפי שבראשונה היו עוררים על הדבר, ועתה נתרצו כולם:
15And all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal, and there they slaughtered peace-offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the people rejoiced greatly.   טווַיֵּלְכ֨וּ כָל־הָעָ֜ם הַגִּלְגָּ֗ל וַיַּמְלִכוּ֩ שָׁ֨ם אֶת־שָׁא֜וּל לִפְנֵ֚י יְהֹוָה֙ בַּגִּלְגָּ֔ל וַיִּזְבְּחוּ־שָׁ֛ם זְבָחִ֥ים שְׁלָמִ֖ים לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּשְׂמַ֨ח שָׁ֥ם שָׁא֛וּל וְכָל־אַנְשֵׁ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַד־מְאֹֽד: