1 Samuel 13
13
Saul Disobeys the Lord
1Saul was a young man#13.1 a young man: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text; several manuscripts of one ancient translation have “thirty years old.” when he became king, and he ruled Israel for two years. 2Then#13.1,2 for … Then: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. he chose 3,000 men from Israel to be full-time soldiers and sent everyone else#13.2 everyone else: People who were not full-time soldiers, but fought together with the army when the nation was in danger. home. Two thousand of these troops stayed with him in the hills around Michmash and Bethel. The other 1,000 were stationed with Jonathan#13.2 Jonathan: Saul's son (see verse 16). at Gibeah#13.2 Michmash … Bethel … Gibeah: These three towns form a triangle, with Bethel to the north. in the territory of Benjamin.
3Jonathan led an attack on the Philistine army camp at Geba.#13.3 Geba: Geba was between Gibeah and Michmash. The Philistine camp was destroyed, but#13.3 led an attack … destroyed, but: Or “killed the Philistine military governor who lived at Geba, and.” the other Philistines heard what had happened. Then Saul told his messengers, “Go to every village in the country. Give a signal with the trumpet, and when the people come together, tell them what has happened.”
4The messengers then said to the people of Israel, “Saul has destroyed the Philistine army camp at Geba.#13.4 destroyed … Geba: Or “killed the Philistine military governor who lived at Geba.” Now the Philistines really hate Israel, so every town and village must send men to join Saul's army at Gilgal.”
5The Philistines called their army together to fight Israel. They had 3,000#13.5 3,000: Some ancient translations; Hebrew “30,000.” chariots, 6,000 cavalry, and as many foot soldiers as there are grains of sand on the beach. They went to Michmash and set up camp there east of Beth-Aven.#13.5 Beth-Aven: This Beth-Aven was probably located about one and a half kilometers southwest of Michmash, between Michmash and Geba.
6The Israelite army realized that they were outnumbered and were going to lose the battle. Some of the Israelite men hid in caves or in clumps of bushes,#13.6 in … bushes: Or “in cracks in the rocks.” and some ran to places where they could hide among large rocks. Others hid in tombs#13.6 tombs: The Hebrew word may mean a room cut into solid rock and used as a burial place, or it may mean a cellar. or in deep dry pits. 7Still others#13.7 Still others: This translates a Hebrew word which may be used of wandering groups of people who sometimes became outlaws or hired soldiers (see also 14.21). went to Gad and Gilead on the other side of the Jordan River.
Saul stayed at Gilgal. His soldiers were shaking with fear, 8#1 S 10.8. and they were starting to run off and leave him. Saul waited there seven days, just as Samuel had ordered him to do,#13.8 Samuel … to do: See 10.8. but Samuel did not come. 9Finally, Saul commanded, “Bring me some animals, so we can offer sacrifices to please the Lord and ask for his help.”
Saul killed one of the animals, 10and just as he placed it on the altar, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to welcome him.
11“What have you done?” Samuel asked.
Saul answered, “My soldiers were leaving in all directions, and you didn't come when you were supposed to. The Philistines were gathering at Michmash, 12and I was worried that they would attack me here at Gilgal. I hadn't offered a sacrifice to ask for the Lord's help, so I forced myself to offer a sacrifice on the altar fire.”
13“That was stupid!” Samuel said. “You didn't obey the Lord your God. If you had obeyed him, someone from your family would always have been king of Israel. 14#Ac 13.22. But no, you disobeyed, and so the Lord won't choose anyone else from your family to be king. In fact, he has already chosen the one he wants to be the next leader of his people.” 15Then Samuel left Gilgal.
Part of Saul's army had not deserted him, and he led them to Gibeah in Benjamin to join his other troops. Then he counted them#13.15 Then Samuel … counted them: Two ancient translations; Hebrew “Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted his army.” and found that he still had 600 men. 16Saul, Jonathan, and their army set up camp at Geba in Benjamin.
Jonathan Attacks the Philistines
The Philistine army was camped at Michmash. 17Each day they sent out patrols to attack and rob villages and then destroy them. One patrol would go north along the road to Ophrah in the region of Shual. 18Another patrol would go west along the road to Beth-Horon. A third patrol would go east toward the desert on the road to the ridge that overlooks Zeboim Valley.
19The Philistines would not allow any Israelites to learn how to make iron tools. “If we allowed that,” they said, “those worthless Israelites would make swords and spears.”
20-21Whenever the Israelites wanted to get an iron point put on a cattle prod,#13.20,21 cattle prod: A pole used to poke cattle and make them move. they had to go to the Philistines. Even if they wanted to sharpen plow-blades, picks, axes, sickles,#13.20,21 sickles: One ancient translation; Hebrew “plow-blades.” and pitchforks#13.20,21 pitchforks: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. they still had to go to them. And the Philistines charged high prices. 22So, whenever the Israelite soldiers had to go into battle, none of them had a sword or a spear except Saul and his son Jonathan.
23The Philistines moved their camp to the pass at Michmash,
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1 Samuel 13: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
1 Samuel 13
13
1[Saul was…years old when he became king and he reigned…-two years over Israel.]#A formula like that of 2 Sm 5:4 was introduced here at some time; but the age of Saul when he became king remains a blank, and the two years assigned for his reign in the Masoretic text cannot be correct. Acts 13:21 offers the round number of forty years.
Saul Offers Sacrifice. 2Saul chose three thousand of Israel, of whom two thousand remained with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the army back to their tents. 3Now Jonathan struck the Philistine garrison#The Philistine garrison: see note on 10:5. Let the Hebrews hear: a different reading of these verses, based on the Greek, would yield: “And the Philistines heard that the Hebrews (or: the slaves) had revolted. Saul in the meantime sounded the trumpet throughout all the land (v. 4), and all Israel heard that Saul….” in Gibeah, and the Philistines got word of it. Then Saul sounded the horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”#1 Sm 14:1–15; Jgs 3:27; 6:34; 2 Sm 20:1–2. 4Then all Israel heard the report, “Saul has struck the garrison of the Philistines! Israel has become odious to the Philistines!” Then the army was called up to Saul in Gilgal. 5The Philistines also assembled for battle against Israel, with thirty thousand chariots,#Thirty thousand chariots: some Greek manuscripts read “three thousand chariots.” six thousand horsemen, and foot soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.#Gn 22:17; 41:49; Jgs 7:12. They came up and encamped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.#1 Sm 14:22. 6When the soldiers saw they were in danger because the army was hardpressed, they hid themselves in caves, thickets, rocks, caverns, and cisterns. 7Other Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, held out in Gilgal, all his army trembling in fear behind him.#These verses, like 10:8, anticipate the rejection of Saul; a different occasion and motivation for this are given in chap. 15 and 28:17–18. 8He waited seven days, until the appointed time Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come, and the army deserted Saul.#1 Sm 10:8. 9He then said, “Bring me the burnt offering and communion offerings!” Then he sacrificed the burnt offering.
King Saul Reproved. 10As he finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there came Samuel! So Saul went out toward him in order to greet him. 11Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul explained: “When I saw that the army was deserting me and you did not come on the appointed day, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12I said to myself, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet sought the Lord’s blessing.’ So I thought I should sacrifice the burnt offering.” 13Samuel replied to Saul: “You have acted foolishly! Had you kept the command the Lord your God gave you, the Lord would now establish your kingship in Israel forever; 14but now your kingship shall not endure. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart#After his own heart: i.e., of his choosing, for his purpose. While the verse undoubtedly refers to David, it concerns the Lord’s decision to continue the kingship, even though he has rejected Saul, by selecting the heir to Saul’s throne. to appoint as ruler over his people because you did not observe what the Lord commanded you.”#1 Sm 15:28; 25:30; 2 Sm 7:15–16; Ps 78:70; Acts 13:22.
Philistine Invasion. 15Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went his own way; but what was left of the army went up after Saul to meet the soldiers, going from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul then counted the soldiers he had with him, about six hundred.#1 Sm 14:2. 16Saul, his son Jonathan, and the soldiers they had with them were now occupying Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines were encamped at Michmash. 17Meanwhile, raiders left the camp of the Philistines in three bands.#1 Sm 14:15. One band took the Ophrah road toward the district of Shual; 18another turned in the direction of Beth-horon; and the third took the road for Geba that overlooks the Valley of the Hyenas toward the desert.
Disarmament of Israel.#These details emphasize the Philistines’ military power and superior technology, a reminder that an Israelite victory depends on God. 19Not a single smith was to be found anywhere in Israel, for the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears.”#Jgs 5:8. 20All Israel, therefore, had to go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles. 21The price for the plowshares and mattocks was two thirds of a shekel, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the ox-goads. 22And so on the day of battle neither sword nor spear could be found in the hand of any of the soldiers with Saul or Jonathan. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
Jonathan’s Exploit. 23An outpost of the Philistines had pushed forward to the pass of Michmash.#1 Sm 14:15.
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