1 Samuel 13
13
1A son of a year [is] Saul in his reigning, yea, two years he hath reigned over Israel,
2and Saul chooseth for himself three thousand [men] out of Israel; and two thousand are with Saul in Michmash, and in the hill-country of Beth-El; and a thousand have been with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the remnant of the people he hath sent each to his tents.
3And Jonathan smiteth the garrison of the Philistines which [is] in Geba, and the Philistines hear, and Saul hath blown with a trumpet through all the land, saying, ‘Let the Hebrews hear.’
4And all Israel have heard, saying, ‘Saul hath smitten the garrison of the Philistines,’ and also, ‘Israel hath been abhorred by the Philistines;’ and the people are called after Saul to Gilgal.
5And the Philistines have been gathered to fight with Israel; thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and a people as the sand which [is] on the sea-shore for multitude; and they come up and encamp in Michmash, east of Beth-Aven.
6And the men of Israel have seen that they are distressed, that the people hath been oppressed, and the people hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
7And Hebrews have passed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; and Saul [is] yet in Gilgal, and all the people have trembled after him.
8And he waiteth seven days, according to the appointment with Samuel, and Samuel hath not come to Gilgal, and the people are scattered from off him.
9And Saul saith, ‘Bring nigh unto me the burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings;’ and he causeth the burnt-offering to ascend.
10And it cometh to pass at his completing to cause the burnt-offering to ascend, that lo, Samuel hath come, and Saul goeth out to meet him, to bless him;
11and Samuel saith, ‘What hast thou done?’ And Saul saith, ‘Because I saw that the people were scattered from off me, and thou hadst not come at the appointment of the days, and the Philistines are gathered to Michmash,
12and I say, Now do the Philistines come down unto me to Gilgal, and the face of Jehovah I have not appeased; and I force myself, and cause the burnt-offering to ascend.’
13And Samuel saith unto Saul, ‘Thou hast been foolish; thou hast not kept the command of Jehovah thy God, which He commanded thee, for now had Jehovah established thy kingdom over Israel unto the age;
14and, now, thy kingdom doth not stand, Jehovah hath sought for Himself a man according to His own heart, and Jehovah chargeth him for leader over His people, for thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee.’
15And Samuel riseth, and goeth up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin; and Saul inspecteth the people who are found with him, about six hundred men,
16and Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who are found with them, are abiding in Gibeah of Benjamin, and the Philistines have encamped in Michmash.
17And the destroyer goeth out from the camp of the Philistines — three detachments; the one detachment turneth unto the way of Ophrah, unto the land of Shual;
18and the one detachment turneth the way of Beth-Horon, and the one detachment turneth the way of the border which is looking on the valley of the Zeboim, toward the wilderness.
19And an artificer is not found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, ‘Lest the Hebrews make sword or spear;’
20and all Israel go down to the Philistines, to sharpen each his ploughshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;
21and there hath been the file for mattocks, and for coulters, and for three-pronged rakes, and for the axes, and to set up the goads.
22And it hath been, in the day of battle, that there hath not been found sword and spear in the hand of any of the people who [are] with Saul and with Jonathan — and there is found to Saul and to Jonathan his son.
23And the station of the Philistines goeth out unto the passage of Michmash.
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1 Samuel 13: YLT98
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1 Samuel 13
13
Samuel rejects Saul’s dynasty
1Saul was 30 years old#13.1 LXXL; Syr twenty-one; MT lacks a number; 13:1 is omitted in LXXB. when he became king, and he ruled over Israel forty-two years.#13.1 Part of the number is missing in MT (… and two years) and all ancient witnesses. Acts 13:21 says Saul ruled forty years, as does Josephus (Ant. 6.14.9 [378]), though Josephus also says Saul ruled twenty years (Ant. 10.8.4 [143]). 2Saul selected three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of those were with Saul at Michmash in the hills near Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent the remaining men home. 3Jonathan attacked the Philistine fort at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul sounded the alarm#13.3 Heb shofar throughout the land and said, “Hebrews! Listen up!” 4When all Israel heard that Saul had attacked the Philistine fort and that Israel was hated by the Philistines, the troops were called to Saul’s side at Gilgal. 5The Philistines also were gathered to fight against Israel. They brought thirty thousand chariots with them, six thousand cavalry, and as many soldiers as there is sand on the seashore to fight Israel.#13.5 LXX; MT lacks They brought, with them,and to fight Israel. They marched up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven. 6When the Israelites saw that they were in trouble and that their troops were threatened, they hid in caves, in thickets, among rocks, in tunnels, and in cisterns. 7Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan River, going into the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul stayed at Gilgal, and the troops followed him anxiously. 8He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and his troops began to desert. 9So Saul ordered, “Bring me the entirely burned offering and the well-being sacrifices.” Then he offered the entirely burned offering.
10The very moment Saul finished offering up the entirely burned offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him. 11But Samuel said, “What have you done?”
“I saw that my troops were deserting,” Saul replied. “You hadn’t arrived by the appointed time, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash. 12I thought, The Philistines are about to march against me at Gilgal and I haven’t yet sought the LORD’s favor. So I took control of myself#13.12 Or forced myself; Heb uncertain and offered the entirely burned offering.”
13“How stupid of you to have broken the commands the LORD your God gave you!” Samuel told Saul. “The LORD would have established your rule over Israel forever, 14but now your rule won’t last. The LORD will search for a man following the Lord’s own heart,#13.14 Or a man loyal to the Lord and the LORD will commission him as leader over God’s people, because you didn’t keep the LORD’s command.”
15Samuel got up and went on his way from Gilgal, but the rest of the people followed Saul to join the army, and they went from Gilgal#13.15 LXX; MT lacks much of this verse. to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted about six hundred men still with him. 16Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were with him were staying at Geba in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Michmash. 17Three raiding parties left the Philistine camp. One took the road to Ophrah toward the territory of Shual. 18Another took the road to Beth-horon, and the last took the border road that overlooks the Zeboim Valley toward the desert.
Philistine ironworking
19No metalworker was to be found anywhere in Israelite territory because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not make swords and spears.” 20So every Israelite had to go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles. 21The cost was two-thirds of a shekel#13.21 Heb pim, which is two-thirds of a shekel for plowshares and mattocks, but one-third of a shekel for sharpening axes and for setting goads. 22So on the day of the battle, no swords or spears were to be found in the possession of any of the troops with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
Jonathan leads Israel to victory
23Now a group of Philistine soldiers had marched out to the pass at Michmash.
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