1 Samuel 13

1 Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.

When Saul had reigned one year, —and two years he reigned over Israel, —

2 [Several years after he became king], he chose three thousand men from the Israeli army to go with him [to fight the Philistines]. Then he sent the other soldiers back home. Of the men he chose, 2,000 stayed with Saul at Micmash and in the hilly area near Bethel, and 1,000 stayed with [Saul’s son] Jonathan at Gibeah, in the area where the descendants of Benjamin lived.

Saul chose for himself three thousand men out of Israel; and there were with Saul two thousand in Michmash and on the mountain of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gib'ah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent away every man to his tents.

3 Jonathan [and the men who were with him] attacked the Philistine soldiers who were camped at Geba. The [other] Philistines heard about that. [So Saul realized that the army of Philistia would probably come to fight the Israelis again]. So Saul [sent messengers to] blow trumpets throughout Israel [to gather the people together and] proclaim to them, “All you Hebrews need to hear [that now the Philistines will start a war with us]!”

And Jonathan smote the outpost of the Philistines that was at Geba', and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the cornet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear it.

4 The messengers told the rest of the army to gather together with Saul at Gilgal. And all the people in Israel heard the news. People were saying, “Saul’s army has attacked the Philistine camp, with the result that now the Philistines hate us Israelis very much.”

And all Israel heard it, saying, Saul hath smitten the outpost of the Philistines, and the Israelites also have put themselves in ill-favor with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.

5 The Philistines gathered together and were given equipment to fight the Israelis. The Philistines had 3,000 chariots, and 6,000 chariot-drivers. Their soldiers [seemed to be as many] as grains of sand on the seashore [HYP]. They went up and set up their tents at Micmash, to the east of Beth-Aven ([which means ‘house of wickedness’, and really referred to Bethel town]).

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 encamped in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.

6 The Philistines attacked the Israelis very strongly, and the Israeli soldiers realized that they were in a very bad situation. So many of the Israeli soldiers hid in caves and holes in the ground, or among the rocks, or in pits, or in wells.

And when the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, [for the people were oppressed, ] then did the people hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in strongholds, and in pits.

7 Some of them crossed the Jordan River at a place where it was very shallow. Then they went to the area where the descendants of Gad lived and to [the] Gilead [region]. But Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the soldiers who were with him were shaking [because they were so afraid].

And some of the Hebrews passed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gil'ad. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him hastily.

8 Saul waited seven days, which was the number of days that Samuel had told him to wait for him. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal [during that time], so many of the men in Saul’s army began to leave him and run away.

And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed; but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattering themselves from him.

9 So Saul said to the soldiers, “Bring to me an animal to be completely burned [on the altar] and one for the offering to enable us to maintain fellowship [with God].” [So the men did that].

And Saul said, Bring hither to me the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings. And he offered the burnt-offering.

10 And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.

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 greet him.

11 Samuel [saw what Saul had done, and he] said to Saul, “Why have you done this?” Saul replied, “I saw that my men were leaving me and running away, and that you did not come here during the time that you said that you would come, and that the Philistine army was gathering together at Micmash.

And Samuel said, What hast thou done: And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattering themselves from me, whereas thou camest not at the appointed day, and the Philistines are gathering themselves together at Michmash;

12 “So I thought, ‘The Philistine army is going to attack us here at Gilgal, and I have not yet asked Yahweh to bless/help us.’ So I felt it was necessary to offer the burnt offerings [to seek God’s blessings].”

And I said, The Philistines will now come down unto me to Gilgal, and I have not yet made supplication unto the Lord: wherefore I forced myself, and offered the burnt-offering.

13 Samuel replied, “What you did was very foolish! You have not obeyed what Yahweh, your God, commanded [about sacrifices]. If you had obeyed him, God would have allowed you and your descendants to rule [Israel] for a long time.

And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he had commanded thee; for now would the Lord have established thy government over Israel for ever.

14 But now [because of what you have done, you will die, and after you die, ] none of your descendants will rule. Yahweh is seeking for a man [to be king] who will be just the kind of person that he wants him to be, so that he can appoint him to be the leader of his people. Yahweh will do this because you have not obeyed what he commanded.”

But now thy government shall not endure: the Lord hath sought out for himself a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath ordained him to be chief over his people; because thou hast not kept what the Lord had commanded thee.

15 Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah. Saul stayed at Gilgal with his soldiers. There were only about 600 of them left [who had not run away].

And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal unto Gib'ah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were to be found with him, about six hundred men.

16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the soldiers who were with them went to Geba [city] in the area of the tribe of Benjamin [and set up their tents there]. The Philistine army set up their tents at Micmash.

And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were to be found with them, were lying in Geba' of Benjamin; but the Philistines were encamped in Michmash.

17 Three groups of Philistia men soon left the place where their army was staying, and went and (raided the Israeli towns/attacked the Israelis and took their possessions). One group went [north] toward Ophrah [city] in [the] Shual [region].

And the troop of freebooters went out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned into the way to 'Ophrah, unto the land of Shu'al;

18 One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.

And another company turned into the way to Beth-choron; and the other company turned into the way to the frontier that looketh over the valley of Zebo'im toward the wilderness.

19 At that time, there were no men in Israel who (were blacksmiths/could make things from iron). [The people of Philistia would not permit the Israelis to do that, because they were afraid that] they would make iron swords and spears for the Hebrews to fight with.

Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, So that the Hebrews shall not make themselves swords or spears.

20 So [whenever the Israelis needed] to sharpen the blades of their plows, or picks, or axes, or sickles, they were forced to take those things to a Philistia man who could sharpen those things.

But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plough-share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.

21 They needed to pay (one fourth of an ounce/8 grams) of silver for sharpening a plow, and (an eighth of an ounce/4 grams) of silver to sharpen an axe, or a sickle, or (an ox goad/a pointed rod to jab an ox to make it walk).

And they used a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the three-pronged forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.

22 So [because the Israelis could not make weapons from iron], on the day that the Israelis fought [against the men of Philistia], Saul and Jonathan were the only Israeli men who had swords. None of the others had a sword; [they had only bows and arrows].

So it came to pass on 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 they were found with Saul and with Jonathan his son.

23 Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.

And the outpost of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.