1Saul was forty years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent each man to his tent. 3And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the shofar throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear! 4And all Israel heard it said that Saul had struck a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become odious to the Philistines. And the people were summoned after Saul at Gilgal. 5And the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore for multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. 6And when the men of Israel saw that they were in straits, for the people were distressed, then the people hid in caves, in crevices, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, with all the people behind him, trembling. 8And he waited seven days for Samuel, according to the appointed time; but Samuel had not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9So Saul said, Bring the burnt offering and peace offerings here to me. And he offered the burnt offering. 10And it happened, as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, to bless him. 11And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, When I saw that the people had scattered from me, and that you had not come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were gathering together at Michmash, 12then I said, The Philistines will now come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the face of Jehovah. Therefore I forced myself, and offered a burnt offering. 13And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of Jehovah your God, which He has commanded you. For now Jehovah would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom shall not stand. Jehovah has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and Jehovah has ordained him to be ruler over His people, because you have not kept what Jehovah has commanded you. 15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people found with him, about six hundred men. 16And Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people found with them remained at Gibeah of Benjamin; and the Philistines encamped at Michmash. 17And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward the way to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18another company turned toward the way to Beth Horon, and another company turned toward the way of the border overlooking the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines thought, Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. 20But all Israel would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21and the price for sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. 22So it came about, in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son. 23And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.