1 Samuel 13
13
1Saul was …#13.1 The number is lacking in Heb years old when he began to reign; and he reigned … and two#13.1 Two is not the entire number. Something has dropped out. years over Israel.
2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel; two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibe-ah of Benjamin; the rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines which was at Geba; and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude; they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in straits (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7or crossed the fords of the Jordan#13.7 Cn: Heb Hebrews crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and salute him. 11Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the Lord’; so I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you 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 for ever. 14#Acts 13.22. But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 15And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibe-ah of Benjamin.
And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the border that looks down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”; 20but every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle;#13.20 Gk: Heb plowshare 21and the charge was a pim for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.#13.21 The Heb of this verse is obscure 22So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
1 Samuel 13
13
1Saul was thirty when he became king, and he reigned over Israel for forty-two years. 2Saul had chosen three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand of them were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and another thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the army home.
3Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison at Geba. The Philistines soon heard about it, so Saul had the trumpet call to arms sounded throughout the land, saying, “Hebrews,#13:3. “Hebrews”: the term is the name given by others to the Israelites, and so used here reminds the Israelites they are dominated by other nations. Some have even suggested that the term was used for Israelites who were slaves to foreigners. pay attention!”
4All of Israel heard the news, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and now Israel is like a bad smell to the Philistines!” So the whole army was called up to join Saul at Gilgal.
5The Philistines gathered to fight against Israel. They had three thousand#13:5. The Hebrew text reads “30,000” which seems excessive. The Lucian version of the Septuagint and the Syriac read 3,000. chariots, six thousand horsemen, and soldiers as numerous as sand on the seashore. They advanced and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6When the Israelite men realized the tough situation they were in, and that the army was taking a beating, they hid themselves in caves, holes, rocks, pits, and cisterns. 7Some of the Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the territory of Gad and Gilead, but Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men with him were trembling with fear. 8Saul waited there seven days for the time that Samuel had said, but Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, and the army started to desert him.
9So Saul ordered, “Bring the burnt offering and the friendship offerings to me,” and he presented the burnt offering.
10Just as he finished presenting the burnt offering, he saw Samuel arrive. Saul went over to meet him and say hello.
11“What have you done?” Samuel asked.
Saul replied, “Well I saw my men were deserting me, and you hadn't arrived when you said you would, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash to attack. 12I said to myself, ‘The Philistines are about to attack me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked the Lord for his help.’ So I felt I had to present the burnt offering myself.”
13“You've been really stupid,” Samuel told him. “You haven't kept the commands of the Lord your God. If you had, the Lord would have made your kingdom over Israel secure forever. 14But now your kingdom won't last. The Lord has found for himself a man who thinks like him, and has chosen him as ruler over his people, because you haven't kept the commands of the Lord.”
15Then Samuel left Gilgal. The rest of the soldiers followed Saul to meet the army, going from Gilgal to Geba in Benjamin.#13:15. One section of this verse is missing in the Hebrew text, probably due to a copyist's mistake, and the Septuagint is followed here. Saul counted the number of soldiers who were with him and there were about six hundred. 16Saul, his son Jonathan, and the soldiers with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines were camped at Michmash. 17Three groups of raiders left the Philistine camp to go and attack. One group went towards Ophrah in the land of Shual, 18one towards Beth-horon, and one towards the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim by the wilderness.
19There wasn't a blacksmith to be found anywhere in Israel, because the Philistines had said, “So that the Hebrews don't make swords and spears.” 20All the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to sharpen their iron plowshares, pickaxes, axes, and sickles. 21The fee was two-thirds of a shekel#13:21. “Two-thirds of a shekel”: literally “one pim.” for plowshares and pickaxes, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and cattle prods.
22So when it came to the day of battle none of the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had swords or spears—only Saul and his son Jonathan had such weapons.
23A Philistine garrison had taken control of the pass at Michmash.#13:23. This verse is better taken with the following chapter.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com