1 Samuel 13
1 Saul reigned one
year ; and when he had
reigned two years over
Israel, 2 Saul chose him
three thousand men of
Israel; whereof two
thousand were with
Saul in
Michmash and in
mount Bethel, and a
thousand were with
Jonathan in
Gibeah of
Benjamin: and the
rest of the
people he
sent every
man to his
tent. 3 And
Jonathan smote 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 And all
Israel heard say that
Saul had
smitten a
garrison of the
Philistines, and that
Israel also was had in
abomination with the
Philistines. And the
people were called
together after Saul to
Gilgal. 5 And the
Philistines gathered themselves
together to
fight with
Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and
six thousand horsemen, and
people as the
sand which is on the
sea shore in
multitude: and they came
up, and
pitched in
Michmash, eastward from
Bethaven. 6 When the
men of
Israel saw that they were in a
strait, (for the
people were
distressed,) then the
people did
hide themselves in
caves, and in
thickets, and in
rocks, and in high
places, and in
pits. 7 And some of the
Hebrews went
over Jordan to the
land of
Gad and
Gilead. As for
Saul, he was yet in
Gilgal, and all the
people followed him
trembling.
8 And he
tarried seven days, according to the set
time that
Samuel had appointed: but
Samuel came not to
Gilgal; and the
people were
scattered from him.
9 And
Saul said, Bring
hither a burnt
offering to me, and peace
offerings. And he
offered the burnt
offering. 10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an
end of
offering the burnt
offering, behold,
Samuel came; and
Saul went
out to
meet him, that he might
salute him.
11 And
Samuel said, What hast thou
done? And
Saul said, Because I
saw that the
people were
scattered from me, and that thou
camest not within the
days appointed, and that the
Philistines gathered themselves
together at
Michmash; 12 Therefore
said I, The
Philistines will come
down now upon me to
Gilgal, and I have not made
supplication unto the
LORD: I
forced myself therefore, and
offered a burnt
offering. 13 And
Samuel said to
Saul, Thou hast done
foolishly: thou hast not
kept the
commandment of the
LORD thy
God, which he
commanded thee: for now would the
LORD have
established thy
kingdom upon
Israel for ever. 14 But now thy
kingdom shall not
continue: the
LORD hath
sought him a
man after his own
heart, and the
LORD hath
commanded him to be
captain over his
people, because thou hast not
kept that which the
LORD commanded thee.
15 And
Samuel arose, and gat him
up from
Gilgal unto
Gibeah of
Benjamin. And
Saul numbered the
people that were
present with him, about
six hundred men. 16 And
Saul, and
Jonathan his
son, and the
people that were
present with them,
abode in
Gibeah of
Benjamin: but the
Philistines encamped in
Michmash. 17 And the
spoilers came
out of the
camp of the
Philistines in
three companies: one company turned unto the
way that leadeth to
Ophrah, unto the
land of
Shual: 18 And
another company turned the
way to
Bethhoron: and
another company turned to the
way of the
border that
looketh to the
valley of
Zeboim toward the
wilderness. 19 Now there was no
smith found throughout all the
land of
Israel: for the
Philistines said, Lest the
Hebrews make them
swords or
spears: 20 But all the
Israelites went
down to the
Philistines, to
sharpen every
man his
share, and his
coulter, and his
axe, and his
mattock. 21 Yet they had a
file for the
mattocks, and for the
coulters, and for the
forks, and for the
axes, and to
sharpen the
goads. 22 So it came to pass in the
day of
battle, that there was neither
sword nor
spear found in the
hand of any of the
people that were with
Saul and
Jonathan: but with
Saul and with
Jonathan his
son was there
found.
23 And the
garrison of the
Philistines went
out to the
passage of
Michmash.