³⁶ So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.

³⁸ The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi.^[a] He is the father of the Ammonites of today.^(A)

²⁴ Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok,^(A) but only up to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified.^[a]

⁹ The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed, ¹⁰ so they cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you.^(A) We have abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”

¹¹ The Lord said to the Israelites, “When the Egyptians,^(B) Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, ¹² Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites^[a](C) oppressed you, and you cried out to me, did I not deliver you from them? ¹³ But you have abandoned me and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not deliver you again. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.^(D) Let them deliver you whenever you are oppressed.”

¹⁵ But the Israelites said, “We have sinned. Deal with us as you see fit; only rescue us^(E) today!” ¹⁶ So they got rid of the foreign gods^(F) among them and worshiped the Lord,^(G) and he became weary^(H) of Israel’s misery.

¹⁷ The Ammonites were called together, and they camped in Gilead. So the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.^{(I) 18} The rulers^[b] of Gilead said to one another, “Which man will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He will be the leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

¹¹ The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions.^(A) During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

¹² But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king reign over us’—even though the Lord your God is your king.

⁷ When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs,^(A) Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed,^(B) they became furious.^(C)