War with the Philistines 1 UST Saul was 30 years old when he began to rule the Israelites as their king, and he ruled them for 42 years. BSB BSB: Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
2 UST { After returning from defeating the Ammonites at Jabesh Gilead,} Saul chose 3, 000 of the Israelite men who had fought them to become a regular army. He sent the other men back home. Of the soldiers Saul chose, 2, 000 stayed with him at Michmash and in the hilly area near the city of Bethel. The other 1, 000 stayed with{ his son} Jonathan at the city of Gibeah within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. BSB BSB: He chose for himself three thousand men of Israel: Two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the troops he sent away, each to his own home.
3 UST Jonathan and the men who were with him attacked the Philistine soldiers who had camped at Geba. The Philistine rulers heard what they did{ and planned to attack in response}. Saul{ expected this and} sent messengers to blow horns throughout Israel and tell the people what was happening. BSB BSB: Then Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
4 UST The other Israelites heard the news that Saul’ s army had attacked a camp of Philistine soldiers and that this had made the Philistines very angry with the Israelites. The messengers told the rest of the fighting men to join Saul and his soldiers at Gilgal. BSB BSB: And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 UST Then the Philistines mobilized their army to attack the Israelites. The Philistines had 3, 000 chariots and 6, 000 soldiers on horseback. They seemed to have too many footsoldiers to count, like the grains of sand on the seashore. The Philistines came and set up their tents near the city of Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. BSB BSB: Now the Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 UST The Israelite soldiers realized that they were in a very dangerous situation because the Philistines would be able to attack them from there and harm them greatly. So many of them{ fled and} hid in caves or bushes or climbed up onto high rocks or hid in ditches or holes in the ground. BSB BSB: Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.
7 UST Some of them crossed the Jordan River and went to the area where the descendants of Gad lived and to the region of Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the soldiers who were with him were shaking because they were so afraid. BSB BSB: Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, remained at Gilgal, and all his troops were quaking in fear.
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice 8 UST Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days for him to come and offer sacrifices, and so he did. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal during that time, and meanwhile many of the soldiers in Saul’ s remaining army were leaving him and running away. BSB BSB: And Saul waited seven days for the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the troops began to desert Saul.
9 UST So Saul told the soldiers,“Bring me an animal that I can burn completely on the altar{ to express our complete dedication to Yahweh}. Also bring me animals that we can sacrifice{ and whose meat we can share at a meal to celebrate and thank Yahweh for the victory we expect he will enable us to win}.” So his soldiers brought him these animals, and he burned the first one completely on the altar. BSB BSB: So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered up the burnt offering.
10 UST When Saul had nearly completed burning this animal, suddenly Samuel arrived. Saul went over to greet him. BSB BSB: Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11 UST Samuel{ saw what Saul had done, and he} said to Saul,“You should not have sacrificed that animal yourself!” Saul replied,“I saw that my soldiers were leaving me and running away. You did not come here by the time you said you would come. Meanwhile, the Philistines had mobilized their army at Michmash{ and were threatening us dangerously}. BSB BSB: “What have you done?” Samuel asked. And Saul replied, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me, and that you did not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash,
12 UST So I thought,‘Soon the Philistine army will attack us here at Gilgal, but I have not yet asked Yahweh to help us.’ So I felt it was necessary to offer the burnt offering myself.” BSB BSB: I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
13 UST Samuel told Saul,“That was a very foolish thing to do! You did not obey what Yahweh, your God, commanded about sacrifices. If you had obeyed him, Yahweh would have allowed you and your descendants to rule Israel for a long time. BSB BSB: “You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
14 UST But now, after you die, none of your descendants will become king. That is because you have not obeyed what Yahweh told you to do, Yahweh has found someone else who will do what he wants him to do. He has decided to make that person the next king of Israel.” BSB BSB: But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.”
15 UST Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to the city of Gibeah that is in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. Saul counted the soldiers he still had with him and he discovered that there were only about 600 of them who had not run away. BSB BSB: Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. And Saul numbered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.
Israel without Weapons 16 UST Saul and his son Jonathan and the soldiers who were with them went to an area near the city of Geba in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin and set up their tents there. The Philistine army had set up their tents at Michmash. BSB BSB: Now Saul and Jonathan his son and the troops with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Michmash.
17 UST The Philistines sent out three groups of soldiers to make raids on Israelite towns. One group went north toward the city of Ophrah in the region of Shual. BSB BSB: And raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three divisions. One headed toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,
18 UST Another group went west towards the city of Beth Horon. The third group went east toward the area above the Zeboim Valley, beyond which there is a desolate area. BSB BSB: another toward Beth-horon, and the third down the border road overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the wilderness.
19 UST The Philistines did not want the Israelites(whom they called Hebrews) to be able to make any swords or spears. So they did not allow any Israelites to be metalworkers. BSB BSB: And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.”
20 UST As a result, whenever the Israelites needed someone to sharpen their plow blades, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to bring them to a Philistine man who could sharpen them. BSB BSB: Instead, all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles.
21 UST The Israelites had to pay about eight grams of silver to get such a man to sharpen their plow blades, picks, forks with three prongs, or sickles or to straighten the goads they used to drive their oxen. BSB BSB: The charge was a pim for sharpening a plowshare or mattock, a third of a shekel for sharpening a pitchfork or an axe, and a third of a shekel for repointing an oxgoad.
22 UST As a result, none of the 600 men who were with Saul and Jonathan had swords or spears that they could use to fight the Philistines. Only Saul and Jonathan, his son, had swords and spears. BSB BSB: So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.
23 UST The Philistines sent some of their soldiers to guard the mountain pass outside Michmash. BSB BSB: And a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
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