1 Samuel 13:1-3

Easy-to-Read Version

Saul Makes His First Mistake

13 Saul was 30^[a] years old when he became king. He ruled over Israel 42 years.^[b] ²Saul chose 3000 men from Israel. There were 2000 men who stayed with him at Micmash in the hill country of Bethel. There were 1000 men who stayed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul sent the other men in the army back home.

³Jonathan defeated the Philistines at their camp in Geba. The Philistines heard about this. They said, “The Hebrews have rebelled.”^[c]

Saul said, “Let the Hebrew people hear what happened.” So Saul told the men to blow trumpets through all the land of Israel.

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Footnotes

1 Samuel 13:1 30 This first number and part of the second number in this verse are missing in the Hebrew text. The whole verse is missing from most copies of the ancient Greek version, but a few late Greek copies have the numbers 30 and 42. Acts 13:21 says that Saul was king for 40 years.
1 Samuel 13:1 He ruled … 42 years Or “After he had ruled over Israel for 2 years, ….”
1 Samuel 13:3 They said … rebelled This is from the ancient Greek version.