Saul was ¹thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for ²forty-two years over Israel.

2 Now Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom two thousand were with Saul in ^aMichmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan at ^bGibeah of Benjamin. But he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent. 3 And Jonathan attacked ^athe garrison of the Philistines that was in ^bGeba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul ^cblew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 And all Israel heard ¹the news that Saul had attacked the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel ^ahad become repulsive to the Philistines. Then the people were summoned ²to Saul at Gilgal.

5 Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and ^apeople like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of ^bBeth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard-pressed), then ^athe people kept themselves hidden in caves, in crevices, in cliffs, in crypts, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of ^aGad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.

8 Now ^ahe waited for seven days, until the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And ^ahe offered the burnt offering. 10 But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and ^aSaul went out to meet him and to ¹greet him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed ¹time, and that ^athe Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 I ¹thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not ²asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I worked up the courage and offered the burnt offering.” 13 But Samuel said to Saul, “^aYou have acted foolishly! ^bYou have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for the LORD would now have established your kingdom ¹over Israel ^cforever. 14 But ^anow your kingdom shall not endure. ^bThe LORD has sought for Himself a man ¹after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to ^aGibeah of Benjamin. And Saul ¹counted the people who were ²present with him, ^babout six hundred men. 16 Now Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were ¹present with them were staying in ^aGeba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash. 17 Then ^1araiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three ²companies: one ³company turned ⁴toward ^bOphrah, to the land of Shual, 18 and another ¹company turned ²toward ^aBeth-horon, and another ³company turned ⁴toward the border that overlooks the Valley of ^bZeboim toward the wilderness.

19 Now ^ano blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make ^1bswords or spears.” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe. 21 The charge was ¹two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the ²cattle goads. 22 So it came about on the day of battle that ^aneither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan. 23 And ^athe garrison of the Philistines went out to ^bthe gorge of Michmash.