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was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel for forty-two years.
2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel for himself; two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Saul had the trumpets blown across Israel, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and Israel has become a stench to the Philistines.” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines assembled to fight against Israel, with thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical, and the troops were hard pressed, the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, among rocks, and in holes and in pits. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops that stayed with him were trembling with fear. 8 Saul waited seven days, the appointed time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s troops began dispersing. 9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just when he had finished making the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. So Saul went out to greet him.
11 Samuel asked, “What have you done?”
So Saul replied, “When I saw the men were dispersing from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mishmash, 12 I thought, ‘The Philistines will now come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favour’. So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”
13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the command that the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him to be the ruler of His people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel left and went on his way up from Gilgal to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were with him, and they numbered about six hundred.
16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them were staying at Gibeah in Benjamin; but the Philistines were camped at Michmash. 17 Raiding parties came out of the camps of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned onto the road toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 another company turned toward Beth-horan, and another company turned toward the border territory that overlooks the valley of Zeboim facing the wilderness.
19 No there was no blacksmith found throughout the whole land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” 20 So all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen their ploughshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles. 21 The price was two-thirds of a shekel for the ploughshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening pitch forks and axes and for repointing goads.
22 So on the day of battle none of the troops had a sword or a spear in their hands, only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23 Now a garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass at Michmash.