1Saul was as a son of one year when [he began] to reign, and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2Saul chose three thousand [men] of Israel, [of which] two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and of the rest of the people he sent each one to his tent. 3And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that [was] in Geba, and the Philistines heard [of it]. And Saul caused the shofar to be blown throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. 4And all Israel heard it said [that] Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines and also [that] Israel had become a stench unto the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. 5Then 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 camp in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits. 7And [some of] the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he [was] yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel [had appointed], but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were deserting from him. 9Then Saul said, Bring me a burnt offering and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 10And it came to pass that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him that he might bless him. 11Then Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were leaving me and [that] thou didst not come within the days appointed and [that] the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash, 12therefore, I said, 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. 13Then 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 the LORD would have established thy kingdom over Israel for ever. 14But now thy kingdom shall not stand; the LORD has sought a man after his own heart unto whom the LORD has commanded that he be captain over his people because thou hast not kept [that] which the LORD commanded thee. 15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people [that were] present with him, about six hundred men. 16And Saul and Jonathan, his son, and the people [that were] present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17And three companies came out of the camp of the Philistines to destroy the land. One company turned unto the way [that leads to] Ophrah unto the land of Shual. 18Another company turned the way [to] Bethhoron, and another company turned [to] the way of the border that looks to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, Lest peradventure the Hebrews make swords or spears. 20But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen each man his share and his coulter and his axe and his mattock 21and when they had nicks in the mattocks and the coulters and the forks and the axes, or to fix a goad. 22So 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 except with Saul and with Jonathan his son who had them. 23And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.: