8
He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people began to slip away from Saul. 1
9
So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the offerings of well-being." And he offered the burnt offering.
10
As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived; and Saul went out to meet him and salute him.
11
Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul replied, "When I saw that the people were slipping away from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines were mustering at Michmash,
12
I said, "Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the
15
And Samuel left and went on his way from Gilgal. 2 The rest of the people followed Saul to join the army; they went up from Gilgal toward Gibeah of Benjamin. 3
Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
16
Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped at Michmash.
17
And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual,
18
another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the mountain 4 that looks down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "The Hebrews must not make swords or spears for themselves"; 20 so all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, or sickles; 5 21 The charge was two-thirds of a shekel 6 for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 7 22 So on the day of the battle neither sword nor spear was to be found in the possession of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and his son Jonathan had them. 23 Now a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass of Michmash.