1 Samuel 13
13
Samuel Judges Saul’s Sin
1Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He ruled over Israel for 42 years.
2Saul chose 3,000 of Israel’s men. Two thousand of them were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel. One thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul sent the rest back to their homes.
3Some Philistine soldiers were stationed at Geba. Jonathan attacked them. The other Philistines heard about it. Saul announced, “Let the Hebrew people hear about what has happened!” He had trumpets blown all through the land. 4So all the Israelites heard the news. They were told, “Saul has attacked the Philistine army camp at Geba. Now the Philistines can’t stand the Israelites.” The Israelites were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5The Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel. They had 3,000 chariots and 6,000 chariot drivers. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash. It was east of Beth Aven. 6The Israelites saw that their army was in deep trouble. So they hid in caves. They hid among bushes and rocks. They also hid in pits and empty wells. 7Some of them even went across the Jordan River. They went to the lands of Gad and Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal. All the troops with him were shaking with fear. 8He waited seven days, just as Samuel had told him to. But Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal. And Saul’s men began to scatter. 9So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the friendship offerings.” Then he offered up the burnt offering. 10Just as Saul finished offering the sacrifice, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him.
11“What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “I saw that the men were scattering. I saw that the Philistines were gathering together at Mikmash. You didn’t come when you said you would. 12So I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down to attack me at Gilgal. And I haven’t asked the Lord for his blessing.’ So I felt I had to sacrifice the burnt offering.”
13“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You haven’t obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. If you had, he would have made your kingdom secure over Israel for all time to come. 14But now your kingdom won’t last. The Lord has already looked for a man who is dear to his heart. He has appointed him king of his people. That’s because you haven’t obeyed the Lord’s command.”
15Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were with him. The total number was about 600.
Israel Doesn’t Have Weapons
16Saul and his son Jonathan were staying in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The men who remained in the army were there with them. At the same time, the Philistines camped at Mikmash. 17Three groups of soldiers went out from the Philistine camp to attack Israel. One group turned and went toward Ophrah in the area of Shual. 18Another went toward Beth Horon. The third went toward the border that looked out over the Valley of Zeboim. That valley faces the desert.
19There weren’t any blacksmiths in the whole land of Israel. That’s because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews might hire them to make swords or spears!” 20So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines. They had to go to them to get their plows, hoes, axes and sickles sharpened. 21It cost a fourth of an ounce of silver to sharpen a plow or a hoe. It cost an eighth of an ounce to sharpen a pitchfork or an axe. That’s also what it cost to put new tips on the large sticks used to drive oxen.
22So the Israelite soldiers went out to battle without swords or spears in their hands. That was true for all of Saul’s and Jonathan’s soldiers. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had those weapons.
Jonathan Attacks the Philistines
23A group of Philistine soldiers had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.
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1 Samuel 13: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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I Samuel 13
13
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
1Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in #Deut. 28:36Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with #1 Sam. 14:5, 31Jonathan in #1 Sam. 14:1Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.
3And Jonathan attacked #1 Sam. 10:26the garrison of the Philistines that was in #1 Sam. 10:5Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.
5Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people #2 Sam. 5:25as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of #Judg. 7:12Beth Aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people #Josh. 7:2; 1 Sam. 14:23hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the #Judg. 6:2; 1 Sam. 14:11land of Gad and Gilead.
As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8#Num. 32:1–42Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.
11And Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
13And Samuel said to Saul, #1 Sam. 10:8“You have done foolishly. #2 Chr. 16:9You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14#1 Sam. 15:11, 22, 28But now your kingdom shall not continue. #1 Sam. 15:28; 31:6The Lord has sought for Himself a man #1 Sam. 16:1after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have #Ps. 89:20; Acts 7:46; 13:22not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, #1 Sam. 15:11, 19about six hundred men.
No Weapons for the Army
16Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to #1 Sam. 13:2, 6, 7; 14:2Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18another company turned to the road to #Josh. 18:23Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of #Josh. 16:3; 18:13, 14Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19Now #Gen. 14:2; Neh. 11:34there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. 22So it came about, on the day of battle, that #Judg. 5:8; 2 Kin. 24:14; Jer. 24:1; 29:2there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.
23#Judg. 5:8And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.