1 Samuel 13
13
1Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He was king over Israel 42 years.# This is how the verse is worded in some early Greek copies. The Hebrew is not clear here. 2Saul chose 3,000 men from Israel. There were 2,000 men who stayed with him at Micmash in the mountains of Bethel. And 1,000 men stayed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul sent the other men in the army back home.
3Jonathan attacked the Philistine camp in Geba. And the other Philistines heard about it. Saul said, “Let the Hebrew people hear what happened.” So he told the men to blow trumpets through all the land of Israel. 4All the Israelites heard the news. The men said, “Saul has defeated the Philistine camp. Now the Philistines really hate us!” Then the Israelites were called to join Saul at Gilgal.
5The Philistines gathered to fight Israel. They had 3,000# Some Greek copies say 3,000. The Hebrew copies say 30,000. chariots and 6,000 men to ride in the chariots. Their soldiers were many in number, like the grains of sand on the seashore. The Philistines went and camped at Micmash which is east of Beth Aven. 6The Israelites saw that they were in trouble. So they went to hide in caves and bushes. They also hid among the rocks and in pits and wells. 7Some Hebrews even went across the Jordan River to the land of Gad and Gilead.
But Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the men in his army were shaking with fear. 8Saul waited seven days, because Samuel had said he would meet him then. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And the soldiers began to leave.
9So Saul said, “Bring me the whole burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then Saul offered the whole burnt offering. 10Just as he finished, Samuel arrived. Saul went to meet him.
11Samuel asked, “What have you done?”
Saul answered, “I saw the soldiers leaving me, and you were not here. The Philistines were gathering at Micmash. 12Then I thought, ‘The Philistines will come against me at Gilgal. And I haven’t asked for the Lord’s approval.’ So I forced myself to offer the whole burnt offering.”
13Samuel said, “You acted foolishly! You haven’t obeyed God’s command. If you had obeyed him, God would make your kingdom continue in Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has looked for the kind of man he wants. The Lord has appointed him to become ruler of his people. He is doing this because you haven’t obeyed his command.”
15Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the army followed Saul into battle. Saul counted the men still with him, and there were about 600.
Hard Times for Israel
16Saul and his son Jonathan stayed in Geba in the land of Benjamin. The soldiers with them also stayed there. The Philistines made their camp at Micmash. 17Three groups went out from their camp to attack. One group went on the Ophrah road in the land of Shual. 18The second group went on the Beth Horon road. And the third group went on the border road. It overlooked the Valley of Zeboim toward the desert.
19The whole land of Israel had no blacksmith. This is because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews might make swords and spears.” 20So all the Israelites went down to the Philistines. They went to have their plows, hoes, axes and sickles sharpened. 21The Philistine blacksmiths charged about one-fourth of an ounce of silver for sharpening plows and hoes. And they charged one-eighth of an ounce of silver for sharpening picks, axes and the sticks used to guide oxen.
22So when the battle came, the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had no swords or spears. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
Israel Defeats the Philistines
23A group from the Philistine army had gone out to the mountain pass at Micmash.
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1 Samuel 13: ICB
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1 Kings 13
13
1Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel.
2And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel. And two thousand were with Saul in Machmas, and in mount Bethel: and a thousand with Jonathan in Gabaa of Benjamin. And the rest of the people he sent back every man to their dwellings.
3And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines which was in Gabaa. And when the Philistines had heard of it, Saul sounded the trumpet over all the land, saying: Let the Hebrews hear.
4And all Israel heard this report: Saul hath smitten the garrison of the Philistines. And Israel took courage against the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Galgal.
5The Philistines also were assembled to fight against Israel: thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and a multitude of people besides, like the sand on the sea-shore for number. And going up they camped in Machmas at the east of Bethaven.
6And when the men of Israel saw that they were straitened (for the people were distressed), they hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in dens, and in pits.
7And some of the Hebrews passed over the Jordan into the land of Gad and Galaad. And when Saul was yet in Galgal, all the people that followed him were greatly afraid.
8And he waited seven days according to the appointment of Samuel; and Samuel came not to Galgal. And the people slipt away from him.
9Then Saul said: Bring me the holocaust, and the peace-offerings. And he offered the holocaust.
10And when he had made an end of offering the holocaust, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went forth to meet him and salute him.
11And Samuel said to him: What hast thou done? Saul answered: Because I saw that the people slipt from me, and thou wast not come according to the days appointed, and the Philistines were gathered together in Machmas,
12I said: Now will the Philistines come down upon me to Galgal; and I have not appeased the face of the Lord. Forced by necessity, I offered the holocaust.
13And Samuel said to Saul: Thou hast done foolishly, and hast not kept the commandments of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. And if thou hadst not done thus, the Lord would now have established thy kingdom over Israel for ever.
14But thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man according to his own heart: and him hath the Lord commanded to be prince over his people, because thou hast not observed that which the Lord commanded.
15And Samuel arose and went up from Galgal to Gabaa of Benjamin. And the rest of the people went up after Saul, to meet the people who fought against them, going from Galgal to Gabaa in the hill of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people, that were found with him, about six hundred men.
16And Saul and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, were in Gabaa of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Machmas.
17And there went out of the camp of the Philistines three companies to plunder. One company went towards the way of Ephra to the land of Sual,
18And another went by the way of Beth-horon; and the third turned to the way of the border, above the valley of Seboim towards the desert.
19Now there was no smith to be found in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines had taken this precaution, lest the Hebrews should make them swords or spears.
20So all Israel went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his ploughshare, and his spade, and his axe, and his rake.
21So that their shares, and their spades, and their forks, and their axes were blunt, even to the goad, which was to be mended.
22And when the day of battle was come, there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul and Jonathan his son.
23And the army of the Philistines went out in order to advance further in Machmas.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.