1 Samuel 13
2 And Saul chooses for himself three
thousand men of the men of Israel: and there were with Saul two thousand who
were in Machmas, and in mount Bæthel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in
Gabaa of Benjamin: and he sent the rest of the people every man to his tent.
3 And Jonathan smote Nasib the
Philistine that dwelt in the hill; and the Philistines hear of it, and Saul
sounds the trumpet through all the land, saying,
aHeb. העכיס as if העכריס.The servants have despised us.
4 And all Israel heard say, Saul has
smitten Nasib the Philistine; now Israel had been put to shame before the
Philistines; and the children of Israel went up after Saul in Galgala.
5 And the Philistines gather together
to war with Israel; and then come up against Israel thirty thousand chariots,
and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand by the seashore for
multitude: and they come up, and encamp in Machmas, opposite Bæthoron
southward.
6 And the men of Israel saw that they
were in a strait so that they could not draw
bGr. to battle.nigh, and the people hid themselves in caves, and sheepfolds, and rocks, and
ditches, and pits. 7 And they that
went over went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Galaad: and Saul was yet in
Galgala, and all the people
cGr. was amazed.followed after him in amazement.
8 And he continued seven days for the
appointed
dOr, set time.testimony, as Samuel told him, and Samuel came not to Galgala, and his people
were dispersed from him. 9 And Saul
said, Bring hither victims, that I may offer
whole-burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: and he offered the
whole-burnt-offering.
10 And it came to pass when he had
finished offering the whole-burnt-offering, that Samuel arrived, and Saul went
out to meet him, and to bless him.
11 And Samuel said, What hast thou
done? and Saul said, Because I saw how the people were scattered from me, and
thou wast not present as thou purposedst according to the set time of the
days, and the Philistines were gathered to Machmas.
12 Then I said, Now will the
Philistines come down to me to Galgala, and I have not sought the face of the
Lord: so I forced myself and offered the whole-burnt-offering.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast
done foolishly; for thou hast not kept my command, which the Lord commanded
thee, as now the Lord would have confirmed thy kingdom over Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not
stand to thee, and the Lord shall seek for himself a man after his own heart;
and the Lord shall appoint him to be a ruler over his people, because thou
hast not kept all that the Lord commanded thee.
15 And Samuel arose, and departed
from Galgala, and the remnant of the people went after Saul to meet
him after the men of war, when they had come out of
Galgala to Gabaa of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were found
with him, about six hundred men.
16 And Saul and Jonathan his son, and
the people that were found with them, halted in Gabaa of Benjamin; and they
wept: and the Philistines had encamped in Machmas.
17 And men came forth to destroy out
of the land of the Philistines in three companies; one company turning by the
way of Gophera toward the land of Sogal,
18 and another company turning the
way of Bæthoron, and another company turning by the way of Gabae that turns
aside to Gai of Sabim.
19 And there was not found a smith in
all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make
themselves sword or spear. 20 And all
Israel went down to the land of the Philistines to forge every one his
reaping-hook and his tool, and every one his axe and his sickle.
21 And it was near the time of
vintage: and their tools were valued at three shekels
for a
eGr. Such is the meaning of ὀδοὺς according to the old interpretors.ploughshare, and there was the same rate for the axe and the sickle.
22 And it came to pass in the days of
the war of Machmas, that there was not a sword or spear found in the hand of
all the people, that were with Saul and Jonathan; but with Saul and Jonathan
his son was there found.
23 And there went out some from the
camp of the Philistines to the place beyond Machmas.