Nahash was the king of Ammon. He and his army went up to Jabesh Gilead. They surrounded it and got ready to attack it. All the men of Jabesh spoke to Nahash. They said,“ Make a peace treaty with us. Then we’ll be under your control.”

亚扪人的王拿辖上来，对着基列雅比安营。雅比众人对拿辖说：“你与我们立约，我们就服侍你。”

亚扪人拿辖上来，对着基列的雅比安营。雅比众人对拿辖说：“你与我们立约，我们就服事你。”

亚扪人拿辖上来，对着基列的雅比安营。雅比众人对拿辖说：“你与我们立约，我们就服事你。”

亚扪人拿辖率军上来围困基列·雅比，城内的居民对拿辖说：“你与我们立约吧！我们愿意服从你。”

亚扪人拿辖上来，安营攻击基列．雅比。所有的雅比人都对拿辖说：“你与我们立约，我们就服事你。”

亚扪人纳哈什上来，对着基列-雅比扎营。全体雅比人就对纳哈什说：“求你与我们立约，我们就服事你。”

亞捫人的王拿轄上來，對着基列‧雅比安營。雅比眾人對拿轄說：「你與我們立約，我們就服事你。」

亞捫人拿轄上來，對着基列的雅比安營。雅比眾人對拿轄說：「你與我們立約，我們就服事你。」

亞捫人拿轄上來，對着基列的雅比安營。雅比眾人對拿轄說：「你與我們立約，我們就服事你。」

亞捫人拿轄率軍上來圍困基列·雅比，城內的居民對拿轄說：「你與我們立約吧！我們願意服從你。」

亞捫人拿轄上來，安營攻擊基列．雅比。所有的雅比人都對拿轄說：“你與我們立約，我們就服事你。”

大約過了一個月，亞捫人拿轄上來，紮營圍困基列雅比；雅比人對拿轄說：『你和我們立約，我們就服事你。』

亞捫人納哈什上來，對著基列-雅比紮營。全體雅比人就對納哈什說：「求你與我們立約，我們就服事你。」

亞捫人拿轄上、建營以攻基列雅比、雅比人謂拿轄曰、與我立約、我則事爾、

亞捫王拿轄至基列之雅疋、建營攻之、雅疋人謂拿轄曰、與我結約、我服事爾。

亞捫王拿轄至基列之雅比、建營攻之、雅比人謂拿轄曰、爾與我立約、我欲事爾、

Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him,“ Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”

Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash,“ Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”

About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace.“ Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.

Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him,“ Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”

Now Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash,“ Make a covenant with us and we will serve you.”

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash,“ Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

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

Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him,“ Make a treaty with us, and we will serve 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.

Nahash the Ammonite marched against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash,“ Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.”

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh Gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash,“ Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

“ But then you saw that Nahash, the king of Ammon, was about to attack you. So you said to me,‘ No! We want a king to rule over us.’ You said it even though the Lord your God was your king.

They answered,“ We saw clearly that the Lord was with you. So we said,‘ There should be an agreement between us and you.’ We want to make a peace treaty with you.

Then they asked,“ Has any tribe of Israel failed to come here to Mizpah in front of the Lord?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come. No one from there had gathered together with the others in the camp.

“ I’ll return the cities my father took from your father,” Ben- Hadad offered.“ You can set up your own market areas in Damascus. That’s what my father did in Samaria.” Ahab said,“ If we sign a peace treaty, I’ll set you free.” So Ben- Hadad made a treaty with him. Then Ahab let him go.

Then Nebuchadnezzar made a peace treaty with Zedekiah. He was a member of Jerusalem’s royal family. Nebuchadnezzar made him promise he would keep the treaty. He also took away the leading men of the land as prisoners.

Will it make an agreement with you? Can you make it your slave for life?

Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods.

The people of Ammon and Moab can’t join in worship with the Lord’ s people. That also applies to their children after them for all time to come.

The people of Jabesh Gilead heard about what the Philistines had done to Saul.So all their brave men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They brought them to Jabesh. There they burned them.Then they got the bones of Saul and his sons and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh. They didn’t eat anything for seven days.

The elders of Gilead replied to him.“ You are right,” they said.“ That’s why we’re turning to you now. Come with us and fight against the Ammonites. Then you will rule over all of us who live in Gilead.”Jephthah said,“ Suppose you take me back to fight against the Ammonites. And suppose the Lord gives me victory over them. Then will I really be your leader?”The elders of Gilead replied,“ The Lord is our witness. We’ll certainly do as you say.”So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. And the people made him their leader and commander. He went to Mizpah. There he repeated to the Lord everything he had said.Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked,“ What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers. He said,“ Israel came up out of Egypt. At that time they took my land away. They took all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached all the way to the Jordan River. Now give it back. Then there will be peace.”Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon.They said,“ Here is what Jephthah says to you. Israel didn’t take the land of Moab. They didn’t take the land of Ammon.When Israel came up out of Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea. From there they went on to Kadesh.Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said,‘ Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They sent the same message to the king of Moab. But he refused too. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.“ Next, they traveled through the desert. They traveled along the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. They passed along the east side of the country of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon River. They didn’t enter the territory of Moab. The Arnon River was Moab’s border.“ Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. They said to him,‘ Let us pass through your country to our own land.’But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered all his troops together. They camped at Jahaz. And they fought against Israel.“ Then the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel. Israel won the battle over them. Amorites were living in the country at that time. And Israel took over all their land.Israel captured all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached from the desert all the way to the Jordan River.“ The Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out to make room for his people. So what right do you have to take it over?You will take what your god Chemosh gives you, won’t you? In the same way, we will take over what the Lord our God has given us.Are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor? Balak was the king of Moab. Did he ever argue with Israel? Did he ever fight against them?For 300 years Israel has been living in Heshbon and Aroer. They have been living in the settlements around those cities. They have also been living in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why didn’t you take those places back during that time?I haven’t done anything wrong to you. But you are doing something wrong to me. You have gone to war against me. The Lord is the Judge. So let him decide our case today. Let him settle matters between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”But the king of Ammon didn’t pay any attention to the message Jephthah sent him.Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He went across the territories of Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah in the land of Gilead. From there he attacked the people of Ammon.Jephthah made a promise to the Lord. Jephthah said,“ Hand the Ammonites over to me.If you do, here’s what I’ll do when I come back from winning the battle. Anything that comes out the door of my house to meet me will belong to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”Then Jephthah went over to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord handed them over to him.Jephthah destroyed 20 towns between Aroer and the area of Minnith. He destroyed them all the way to Abel Keramim. So Israel brought Ammon under their control.

“ Don’t listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says,‘ Make a peace treaty with me. Come over to my side. Then each one of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree. Each one of you will drink water from your own well.

So the Lord became very angry with them. He handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites.

So the community sent 12,000 fighting men to Jabesh Gilead. They directed them to take their swords and kill those living there. That included the women and children.“ Here is what you must do,” they said.“ Kill every male. Also kill every woman who is not a virgin.”They found 400 young women in Jabesh Gilead who had never slept with a man. So they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.Then the whole community sent an offer of peace to the men of Benjamin. The men were at the rock of Rimmon.So the men of Benjamin returned at that time. They were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there weren’t enough women for all of them.The people were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord had left a gap in the tribes of Israel. They weren’t complete without Benjamin.The elders of the community spoke up. They said,“ All the women of Benjamin have been wiped out. So how will we find wives for the men who are left?The men of Benjamin who are still alive need to have children,” they said.“ If they don’t, a tribe of Israel will be wiped out.But we can’t give them our daughters to be their wives. We Israelites have made a promise. We’ve said,‘ May anyone who gives a wife to a man from Benjamin be under the Lord’ s curse.’Look, a feast is celebrated every year in Shiloh to honor the Lord. Shiloh is north of Bethel. It’s east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. It’s south of Lebonah.”So they told the men of Benjamin what to do. They said,“ Go. Hide in the vineyardsand watch. The young women of Shiloh will come out. They’ll join in the dancing. When they do, run out of the vineyards. Each of you grab a young woman from Shiloh to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin.Their fathers or brothers might not be happy with what we’re doing. If they aren’t, we’ll say to them,‘ Do us a favor. Help the men of Benjamin. We didn’t get wives for them during the battle. You aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. After all, you didn’t give your daughters to them. Your daughters were stolen from you.’ ”So that’s what the men of Benjamin did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one. He carried her away to be his wife. Then the men returned to their own share of land. They built the towns again. They made their homes in them.At that time the Israelites also left. They went home to their tribes and family groups. Each one went to his own share of land.In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.