1 Samuel 13

Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, ²Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in ^aMichmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in ^bGibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. ³And Jonathan smote the ^cgarrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul ^dblew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. ⁴And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a ^cgarrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people ^ewere called together after Saul to Gilgal. ⁵And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people ^fas the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from ^gBeth-aven. ⁶When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people ^hwere distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in ⁱcaves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in ^jhigh places, and in pits. ⁷And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

⁸And ^khe tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. ⁹And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. ¹¹And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; ¹²Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I ^lforced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. ¹³And Samuel said to Saul, ^mThou hast done foolishly: ⁿthou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. ^14oBut now thy kingdom shall not continue: ^pthe Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

¹⁵And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto ^qGibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, ^rabout six hundred men. ¹⁶And Saul, and ^sJonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷And ^tthe spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to ^uOphrah, unto the land of ^vShual: ¹⁸And another company turned the way to ^wBeth-horon: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of ^xZeboim toward the wilderness. ¹⁹Now ^ythere was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: ²⁰But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his ^zcoulter, and his axe, and his mattock. ²¹Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the ^agoads. ²²So it came to pass in the day of battle, that ^bthere was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. ²³And the garrison of the Philistines went out to ^cthe passage of Michmash.

XIV.