1 Samuel 13

1 [was] a son of (Thirty *X*) year[s] Saul when became king he (and forty *X*) and two years he reigned over Israel.

Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.

2 And he chose for himself Saul three thousand from Israel and they were with Saul two thousand at Micmash and in [the] hill country of Beth-el and one thousand they were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin and [the] rest of the people he sent away each man to tents his.

[Several years after he became king], he chose three thousand men from the Israeli army to go with him [to fight the Philistines]. Then he sent the other soldiers back home. Of the men he chose, 2,000 stayed with Saul at Micmash and in the hilly area near Bethel, and 1,000 stayed with [Saul’s son] Jonathan at Gibeah, in the area where the descendants of Benjamin lived.

3 And he attacked Jonathan [the] garrison of [the] Philistines which [was] at Geba and they heard [the] Philistines and Saul he gave a blast on the trumpet in all the land saying let them hear the Hebrews.

Jonathan [and the men who were with him] attacked the Philistine soldiers who were camped at Geba. The [other] Philistines heard about that. [So Saul realized that the army of Philistia would probably come to fight the Israelis again]. So Saul [sent messengers to] blow trumpets throughout Israel [to gather the people together and] proclaim to them, “All you Hebrews need to hear [that now the Philistines will start a war with us]!”

4 And all Israel they heard saying he has attacked Saul [the] garrison of [the] Philistines and also it has made itself odious Israel with the Philistines and they were summoned the people after Saul Gilgal.

The messengers told the rest of the army to gather together with Saul at Gilgal. And all the people in Israel heard the news. People were saying, “Saul’s army has attacked the Philistine camp, with the result that now the Philistines hate us Israelis very much.”

5 And [the] Philistines they gathered - to fight with Israel thirty thousand chariot[s] and six thousand horsemen and a people like the sand which [is] on [the] shore of the sea for multitude and they came up and they encamped at Micmash [the] east of Beth Aven.

The Philistines gathered together and were given equipment to fight the Israelis. The Philistines had 3,000 chariots, and 6,000 chariot-drivers. Their soldiers [seemed to be as many] as grains of sand on the seashore [HYP]. They went up and set up their tents at Micmash, to the east of Beth-Aven ([which means ‘house of wickedness’, and really referred to Bethel town]).

6 And everyone of Israel they saw that it was distress to it for it was hard pressed the people and they hid themselves the people in caves and in thickets and in cliffs and in underground chambers and in cisterns.

The Philistines attacked the Israelis very strongly, and the Israeli soldiers realized that they were in a very bad situation. So many of the Israeli soldiers hid in caves and holes in the ground, or among the rocks, or in pits, or in wells.

7 And Hebrews they passed over the Jordan [the] land of Gad and Gilead and Saul still he [was] at Gilgal and all the people they trembled after him.

Some of them crossed the Jordan River at a place where it was very shallow. Then they went to the area where the descendants of Gad lived and to [the] Gilead [region]. But Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the soldiers who were with him were shaking [because they were so afraid].

8 (And he waited *Q(K)*) seven days to the appointed time which Samuel and not he had come Samuel Gilgal and it scattered the people from with him.

Saul waited seven days, which was the number of days that Samuel had told him to wait for him. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal [during that time], so many of the men in Saul’s army began to leave him and run away.

9 And he said Saul bring near to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings and he offered up the burnt offering.

So Saul said to the soldiers, “Bring to me an animal to be completely burned [on the altar] and one for the offering to enable us to maintain fellowship [with God].” [So the men did that].

10 And it was when finished he to offer up the burnt offering and there! Samuel [was] coming and he went out Saul to meet him to bless him.

And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.

11 And he said Samuel what? have you done and he said Saul if I saw that it was scattered the people from with me and you not you had come to [the] appointed time of the days and [the] Philistines [were] gathering Micmash.

Samuel [saw what Saul had done, and he] said to Saul, “Why have you done this?” Saul replied, “I saw that my men were leaving me and running away, and that you did not come here during the time that you said that you would come, and that the Philistine army was gathering together at Micmash.

12 And I said now they will come down [the] Philistines against me Gilgal and [the] face of Yahweh not I have entreated and I forced myself and I offered up the burnt offering.

“So I thought, ‘The Philistine army is going to attack us here at Gilgal, and I have not yet asked Yahweh to bless/help us.’ So I felt it was necessary to offer the burnt offerings [to seek God’s blessings].”

13 And he said Samuel to Saul you have acted foolishly not you have kept [the] commandment of Yahweh God your which he commanded you for now he established Yahweh kingdom your to Israel until perpetuity.

Samuel replied, “What you did was very foolish! You have not obeyed what Yahweh, your God, commanded [about sacrifices]. If you had obeyed him, God would have allowed you and your descendants to rule [Israel] for a long time.

14 And now kingdom your not it will endure he has sought Yahweh for himself a man according to own heart his and he has appointed him Yahweh to ruler over people his for not you have kept [that] which he commanded you Yahweh.

But now [because of what you have done, you will die, and after you die, ] none of your descendants will rule. Yahweh is seeking for a man [to be king] who will be just the kind of person that he wants him to be, so that he can appoint him to be the leader of his people. Yahweh will do this because you have not obeyed what he commanded.”

15 And he arose Samuel and he went up from Gilgal (and he went on way his and the rest of the people it went up after Saul to meet [the] people [of] the battle and they went from Gilgal *X*) Gibeah of Benjamin and he mustered Saul the people who were found with him about six hundred man.

Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah. Saul stayed at Gilgal with his soldiers. There were only about 600 of them left [who had not run away].

16 And Saul and Jonathan son his and the people which was found with them [were] remaining in Geba of Benjamin and [the] Philistines they encamped in Micmash.

Saul and his son Jonathan and the soldiers who were with them went to Geba [city] in the area of the tribe of Benjamin [and set up their tents there]. The Philistine army set up their tents at Micmash.

17 And it came out the destroyer from [the] camp of [the] Philistines three companies the company one it turned to [the] direction of Ophrah to [the] land of Shual.

Three groups of Philistia men soon left the place where their army was staying, and went and (raided the Israeli towns/attacked the Israelis and took their possessions). One group went [north] toward Ophrah [city] in [the] Shual [region].

18 And the company one it turned [the] direction of Beth Horon and the company one it turned [the] direction the border which looks down over [the] valley of Zeboim the wilderness towards.

One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.

19 And a craftsman not he was found in all [the] land of Israel for (they said *Q(K)*) [the] Philistines lest they should make the Hebrews a sword or a spear.

At that time, there were no men in Israel who (were blacksmiths/could make things from iron). [The people of Philistia would not permit the Israelis to do that, because they were afraid that] they would make iron swords and spears for the Hebrews to fight with.

20 And they went down all Israel the Philistines to sharpen each man plowshare his and mattock his and axe his and plowshare his.

So [whenever the Israelis needed] to sharpen the blades of their plows, or picks, or axes, or sickles, they were forced to take those things to a Philistia man who could sharpen those things.

21 And it was the charge two thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks and for three fork and for the axes and to make straight the goad[s].

They needed to pay (one fourth of an ounce/8 grams) of silver for sharpening a plow, and (an eighth of an ounce/4 grams) of silver to sharpen an axe, or a sickle, or (an ox goad/a pointed rod to jab an ox to make it walk).

22 And it was on a day of battle and not it was found a sword and a spear in [the] hand of any of the people which [was] with Saul and with Jonathan and it was found to Saul and to Jonathan son his.

So [because the Israelis could not make weapons from iron], on the day that the Israelis fought [against the men of Philistia], Saul and Jonathan were the only Israeli men who had swords. None of the others had a sword; [they had only bows and arrows].

23 And it came out [the] garrison of [the] Philistines to [the] pass of Micmash.

Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.