1 Samuel 13

¹ Saul reignedWhile these things were done.one year; and when he had reignedBefore he took upon himself the state of a king.two years over Israel,

² Then Saul chose him three thousand of Israel: and two thousande were with Saul in Michmash, & in mount Beth-el, and a thousande were with Ionathan in Gibeah of Beniamin: and the rest of the people he sent euery one to his tent.

³ And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that [was] inOf Kirjath-jearim, where the ark was, (1Sa_10:5).Geba, and the Philistines heard [of it]. And Saul blew theThat everyone should prepare themselves to fight.trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

⁴ And al Israel heard say, Saul hath destroied a garison of the Philistims: wherefore Israel was had in abomination with the Philistims: and the people gathered 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 fromWhich was also called Beth-el, in the tribe of Benjamin.Bethaven.

⁶ And when the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were in distresse ) the people hid themselues in caues, and in holdes, and in rockes, and in towres, and in pittes.

⁷ And [some of] the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land ofWhere the two tribes and the half remained.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 wereThinking that the absence of the prophet was a sign, that they would lose the victory.scattered from him.

⁹ And Saul sayde, Bring a burnt offering to me and peace offrings: and he offered a burnt offering.

¹⁰ And assoone as hee had made an ende of offering the burnt offering, beholde, Samuel came: and Saul went foorth to meete him, to salute him.

¹¹ And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people wereThough these causes seem sufficient in man's judgment: yet because they had not the word of God, they turned to his destruction.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 Philistims will come downe nowe vpon me to Gilgal, and I haue not made supplication vnto the Lorde. I was bolde therefore and offred a burnt offring.

¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thyWho willed you to obey him, and rest on the words spoken by his prophet.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 aThat is, David.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 untoAnd went to his city Ramah.Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people [that were] present with him, about six hundred men.

¹⁶ And Saul and Ionathan his sonne, and the people that were found with them, had their abiding in Gibeah of Beniamin: but the Philistims pitched in Michmash.

¹⁷ And there came out of the hoste of the Philistims three bandes to destroie, one bande turned vnto the way of Ophrah vnto the lande of Shual,

¹⁸ And another company turned the way [to] Bethhoron: andSo that to man's judgment these three armies would have overrun the whole country.another company turned [to] the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ Then there was no smith founde throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistims sayde, Lest the Ebrewes make them swordes or speares.

²⁰ Wherefore all ye Israelites went downe to the Philistims, to sharpen euery man his share, his mattocke, and his axe, and his weeding hooke.

²¹ Yet they had a file for the shares, and for the mattockes, and for the picke forkes, and for the axes, and for to sharpen the goades.

²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neitherTo declare that the victory only came from God, and not by their force.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 garison of the Philistims came out to the passage of Michmash.