1 Saul was as a son of one year when he began to reign, and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in Mount Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and of the rest of the people he sent each one to his tent. 3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul caused the shofar to be blown throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines and also that Israel had become a stench unto the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.
5 Then the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude; and they came up and pitched camp in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were deserting from him. 9 Then Saul said, Bring me a burnt offering and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 10 And it came to pass that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him that he might bless him. 11 Then Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were leaving me and that thou didst not come within the days appointed and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash, 12 therefore, I said, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD. I forced myself, therefore, and offered a burnt offering. 13 Then Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee, for now the LORD would have established thy kingdom over Israel for ever. 14 But now thy kingdom shall not stand; the LORD has sought a man after his own heart unto whom the LORD has commanded that he be captain over his people because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan, his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And three companies came out of the camp of the Philistines to destroy the land. One company turned unto the way that leads to Ophrah unto the land of Shual. 18 Another company turned the way to Bethhoron, and another company turned to the way of the border that looks to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, Lest peradventure the Hebrews make swords or spears. 20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen each man his share and his coulter and his axe and his mattock 21 and when they had nicks in the mattocks and the coulters and the forks and the axes, or to fix a goad. 22 So it came to pass in the day of battle that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan except with Saul and with Jonathan his son who had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.