1 Samuel 13

1 Saul nowe had beene King one yeere, and he reigned two yeeres ouer Israel.

2 Then Saul chose him three thousand of Israel: and two thousande were with Saul in Michmash, and 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.

And Saul took for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom he kept two thousand with him in Michmash and in the mountain of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin: the rest of the people he sent back to their tents.

3 And Ionathan smote the garison of the Philistims, that was in the hill: and it came to the Philistims eares: and Saul blewe the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Heare, O yee Ebrewes.

And Jonathan made an attack on the armed force of the Philistines stationed at Gibeah; and news was given to the Philistines that the Hebrews were turned against them. And Saul had a horn sounded through all the land,

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.

And all Israel had the news that Saul had made an attack on the Philistines, and that Israel was bitterly hated by the Philistines. And the people came together after Saul to Gilgal.

5 The Philistims also gathered themselues together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand charets, and sixe thousande horsemen: for the people was like the sand which is by the seas side in multitude, and came vp, and pitched in Michmash Eastward from Beth-auen.

And the Philistines came together to make war on Israel, three thousand war-carriages and six thousand horsemen and an army of people like the sands of the sea in number: they came up and took up their position in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.

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.

When the men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people were troubled, ) they took cover in cracks in the hillsides and in the woods and in rocks and holes and hollows.

7 And some of the Ebrewes went ouer Iorden vnto the lande of Gad and Gilead: and Saul was yet in Gilgal, and al the people for feare followed him.

And a great number of the people had gone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people went after him shaking in fear.

8 And he taried seuen daies, according vnto the time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal, therefore the people were scattered from him.

And he went on waiting there for seven days, the time fixed by Samuel: but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were starting to go away from him.

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

Then Saul said, Come here and give me the burned offering and the peace-offerings. And he made a burned offering to the Lord.

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.

And when the burned offering was ended, Samuel came; and Saul went out to see him and to give him a blessing.

11 And Samuel saide, What hast thou done? Then Saul saide, Because I sawe that the people was scattred from me, and that thou camest not within the daies appoynted, and that the Philistims gathered themselues together to Michmash,

And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were going away from me, and you had not come at the time which had been fixed, and the Philistines had come 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 Lord. I was bolde therefore and offred a burnt offring.

I said, Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal, and I have made no prayer for help to the Lord: and so, forcing myself to do it, I made a burned offering.

13 And Samuel saide to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandement of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for the Lord had nowe stablished thy kingdome vpon Israel for euer.

And Samuel said to Saul, You have done a foolish thing: you have not kept the rules which the Lord your God gave you; it was the purpose of the Lord to make your authority over Israel safe for ever.

14 But nowe thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his owne heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be gouernour ouer his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord had commanded thee.

But now, your authority will not go on: the Lord, searching for a man who is pleasing to him in every way, has given him the place of ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord gave you orders to do.

15 And Samuel arose, and gate him vp from Gilgal in Gibeah of Beniamin: and Saul nombred the people that were found with him, about sixe hundreth men.

Then Samuel went up from Gilgal and the rest of the people went up after Saul against the men of war, and they came from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin: and Saul took the number of the people who were 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.

And Saul, with Jonathan his son and the people who were with them, was waiting in Geba in the land of Benjamin: but the tents of the Philistines were 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,

And three bands of men came out from the Philistines to make an attack; one band went by the road which goes to Ophrah, into the land of Shual:

18 And another bad turned toward the way to Beth-horon, and the third band turned toward the way of the coast that looketh toward the valley of Zeboim, towarde the wildernesse.

And another went in the direction of Beth-horon: and another went by the hill looking down on the valley of Zeboiim, in the direction of the waste land.

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.

Now there was no iron-worker in all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, For fear the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears:

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.

But all the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their ploughs and blades and axes and hooks made sharp;

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.

For they had instruments for putting an edge on their ploughs and blades and forks and axes, and for putting iron points on their ox-driving rods.

22 So whe the day of battell was come, there was neither sworde nor speare founde in the handes of any of the people that were with Saul and with Ionathan: but onely with Saul and Ionathan his sonne was there founde.

So on the day of the fight at Michmash, not a sword or a spear was to be seen in the hands of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan: only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

23 And the garison of the Philistims came out to the passage of Michmash.

And the armed force of the Philistines went out to the narrow way of Michmash.