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¹ AND when Saul had reigned one or two years in his kingdom over Israel,² He then chose for himself three thousand men of Israel; two thousand were with him in Michmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan his son in Ramtha of Benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent every man to his house.³ And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews and all Israel hear the news⁴ That Saul has smitten the garrison of the Philistines and that Israel has prevailed over the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.⁵ And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, three thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude; and they came up and encamped in Michmash, east of Beth-el.⁶ And when the men of Israel saw them, they were afraid; so they hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in clefts and in pits.⁷ And some of the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people were with him.

⁸ And he waited seven days, according to the set time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were deserting Saul.⁹ And Saul said, Bring here a burnt offering to me, and he offered peace offerings and burnt offerings.¹⁰ And as soon as he had finished making the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might bless him.¹¹ And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, When I saw that the people were deserting me and that you did not come within the time appointed and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;¹² Therefore I said, The Philistines might come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not inquired of the LORD, so I ventured to offer a burnt offering.¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly; for you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you; for now would the LORD have established your kingdom over Israel, as he had said, I will establish you for ever.¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue; for the LORD has chosen for himself a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be a ruler over his people, because you have not kept all the commandments that the LORD your God gave you.

¹⁵ And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Ramtha of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.¹⁶ And Saul and Jonathan his son dwelt in Gibeah of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.¹⁷ And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one went toward the way of Ophrah to attack the land of Shual;¹⁸ And another went toward the way of Beth-hauran; and another turned toward the way of the border that looks toward the valley of Zebaon and to the wilderness.¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, We do not want the Hebrews to make swords and spears;²⁰ But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man his sickle and his ploughshare and his axe and his mattock.²¹ And there was a broad file for the sickle and for the ploughshare and for mattocks and for the axe and to sharpen the goads.²² So in the day of the battle, there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.²³ And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.