1 Samuel 13

New King James Version

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

13 Saul^[a]reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,² Saul chose for himself three thousandmenof Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in^(A)Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with^(B)Jonathan in^(C)Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

³ And Jonathan attacked^(D)the garrison of the Philistines thatwasin^(E)Geba, and the Philistines heardof it.Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”⁴ Now all Israel heard it saidthatSaul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, andthatIsrael had also become^[b]an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel,^[c]thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people^(F)as the sand whichison the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of^(G)Beth Aven.⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people^(H)hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits.⁷ Andsome ofthe Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the^(I)land of Gad and Gilead.

As for Saul, hewasstill in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.^8 (J)Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.⁹ So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.¹⁰ Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might^[d]greet him.

¹¹ And Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, andthatyou did not come within the days appointed, andthatthe Philistines gathered together at Michmash,¹² then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to theLord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

¹³ And Samuel said to Saul,^(K)“You have done foolishly.^(L)You have not kept the commandment of theLordyour God, which He commanded you. For now theLordwould have established your kingdom over Israel forever.^14 (M)But now your kingdom shall not continue.^(N)TheLordhas sought for Himself a man^(O)after His own heart, and theLordhas commanded himto becommander over His people, because you have^(P)not kept what theLordcommanded you.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of^[e]Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him,^(Q)about six hundred men.

No Weapons for the Army

¹⁶ Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in^[f]Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash.¹⁷ Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to^(R)Ophrah, to the land of Shual,¹⁸ another company turned to the roadto^(S)Beth Horon, and another company turnedtothe road of the border that overlooks the Valley of^(T)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ Now^(U)there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.”²⁰ But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle;²¹ and the charge for a sharpening was a^[g]pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads.²² So it came about, on the day of battle, that^(V)there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people whowerewith Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

^23 (W)And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.