1 Samuel 11:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh.

NIV: Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, 'What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?' Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

NASB: Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and Saul said, 'What is the matter with the people that they weep?' So they reported to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

CSB: Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. "What's the matter with the people? Why are they weeping? " Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh.

NLT: Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, 'What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?' So they told him about the message from Jabesh.

KJV: And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.

NKJV: Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.