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.
1 Samuel 13
13
Saul Fails His Commission
1Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.#Lit. “The son of a year was Saul in his ruling and two years he ruled over Israel.” Most translations read in Saul’s age and length of reign from external evidence (Josephus) or from the New Testament (Paul, who mentions a forty-year reign for Saul in Ac 13:21).
2#1Sa 10:26; 13:5Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Mikmash and in mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent each to his tent.
3#1Sa 10:5; Jdg 3:27Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4#Ge 34:30; Ex 5:21All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.
5#Jos 11:4; 1Sa 14:23The Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, with people like the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and camped in Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6#Jdg 6:2; Heb 11:38When Israel’s fighting men saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in hollows, among rocks, and in cellars and cisterns. 7Some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling. 8#1Sa 10:8He waited seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him. 9#1Ki 3:4; Dt 12:6Saul said, “Bring here to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering. 10#1Sa 15:13When he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him to greet him.
11#1Sa 13:2; 13:5Samuel said, “What have you done?”
And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come to the appointed assembly days, and the Philistines are gathering themselves together at Mikmash, 12therefore I said, ‘The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not yet appeased the face of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
13#2Ch 16:9; 1Sa 15:11Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. Truly now, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14#1Sa 15:28; Ac 13:22But now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over His people, because you have not kept that which the Lord commanded you.”
15#1Sa 13:2; 14:2Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.
Israel Unarmed
16Now Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were with them, were staying in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Mikmash. 17#Jos 18:23; 1Sa 14:15Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual. 18#Ne 11:34; Jos 18:13–14And another company turned the way to Beth Horon. And another company turned to the way of the border that looks to the Valley of Zeboyim toward the wilderness.
19#2Ki 24:14; Jdg 5:8Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel. For the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make for themselves swords or spears.” 20So all the children of Israel went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plow-point, his axe, his adze and his hoe. 21The sharpening charge was two-thirds of a shekel#About 1/4 ounce, or 8 grams. for plow-points, axes, pitchforks, and adzes, and to fix an ox-goad.
22#Jdg 5:8So it came to pass on the day of battle, that neither sword nor spear were found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found in the hand of Saul and Jonathan his son.
23#Isa 10:28; 1Sa 14:1And the garrison of the Philistines had marched out to the ravine of Mikmash.
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