1 Samuel 13

SAUL’S FAILURE

13Saul was thirty years^B old when he became king, and he reigned forty-two years^C over Israel. ²He chose three thousand men from Israel for himself: two thousand were with Saul at Michmash^g and in Bethel’s hill country, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah^h of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the troops away, each to his own tent.

³Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrisonⁱ in Gibeah,^F and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land^k saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”^{Gl 4}And all Israel heard the news, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and Israel is now repulsive to the Philistines.” Then the troops were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵The Philistines also gathered to fight against Israel: three thousand^H chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore.^m They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.^In

⁶The men of Israel saw that they were in trouble because the troops were in a difficult situation. They hid in caves, in thickets, among rocks, and in holes and cisterns.^{o 7}Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul, however, was still at Gilgal, and all his troops were gripped with fear. ⁸He waited seven days for the appointed time that Samuel had set,^p but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the troops were deserting him. ⁹So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering.

¹⁰Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. So Saul went out to greet him, ¹¹and Samuel asked, “What have you done?”

Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, ¹²I thought, ‘The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish.^q You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you.^r It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel,^{s 14}but now your reign will not endure.^t The Lord has found a man after his own heart,^Au and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.” ¹⁵Then Samuel went^B from Gilgal to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul registered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.

¹⁶Saul, his son Jonathan, and the troops who were with them were staying in Geba^v of Benjamin, and the Philistines were camped at Michmash. ¹⁷Raiding parties^w went out from the Philistine camp in three divisions. One division headed toward the Ophrah^x road leading to the land of Shual. ¹⁸The next division headed toward the Beth-horon^y road, and the last division headed down the border road that looks out over the Zeboim Valley^z toward the wilderness.

¹⁹No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel^aa because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” ²⁰So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles.^{C 21}The price was two-thirds of a shekel^D for plows and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for pitchforks and axes, and for putting a point on a cattle prod. ²²So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul^ab and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.

JONATHAN’S VICTORY OVER THE PHILISTINES

²³Now a Philistine garrison^a took control of the pass at Michmash.