²⁴ As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.

² The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel^[a] against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.

¹¹ When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

⁶ The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. ⁷ Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul’s Disobedience and Samuel’s Rebuke

Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear.

³³ We even saw giants^[a] there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

³⁶ “And for those of you who survive, I will demoralize you in the land of your enemies. You will live in such fear that the sound of a leaf driven by the wind will send you fleeing. You will run as though fleeing from a sword, and you will fall even when no one pursues you.