Samuel Rebukes Saul

13 Saul was thirty^[a] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-^[b] two years.

² Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand^(A) were with him at Mikmash^(B) and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah^(C) in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

³ Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost^(D) at Geba,^(E) and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet^(F) blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” ⁴ So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious^(G) to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ The Philistines assembled^(H) to fight Israel, with three thousand^[c] chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand^(I) on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash,^(J) east of Beth Aven.^{(K) 6} When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid^(L) in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.^{(M) 7} Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad^(N) and Gilead.

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking^(O) with fear. ⁸ He waited seven^(P) days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. ⁹ So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered^(Q) up the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel^(R) arrived, and Saul went out to greet^(S) him.

¹¹ “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,^{(T) 12} I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal,^(U) and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.^(V)’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³ “You have done a foolish thing,^(W)” Samuel said. “You have not kept^(X) the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.^{(Y) 14} But now your kingdom^(Z) will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart^(AA) and appointed^(AB) him ruler^(AC) of his people, because you have not kept^(AD) the Lord’s command.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel left Gilgal^[d] and went up to Gibeah^(AE) in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.^(AF)

Israel Without Weapons

¹⁶ Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah^[e](AG) in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash. ¹⁷ Raiding^(AH) parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah^(AI) in the vicinity of Shual, ¹⁸ another toward Beth Horon,^(AJ) and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim^(AK) facing the wilderness.

¹⁹ Not a blacksmith^(AL) could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!^(AM)” ²⁰ So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles^[f] sharpened. ²¹ The price was two-thirds of a shekel^[g] for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel^[h] for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

²² So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan^(AN) had a sword or spear^(AO) in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines

²³ Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass^(AP) at Mikmash.^(AQ) 14 ¹ One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

² Saul was staying^(AR) on the outskirts of Gibeah^(AS) under a pomegranate tree^(AT) in Migron.^(AU) With him were about six hundred men, ³ among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s^(AV) brother Ahitub^(AW) son of Phinehas, the son of Eli,^(AX) the Lord’s priest in Shiloh.^(AY) No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

⁴ On each side of the pass^(AZ) that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵ One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.^(BA)

⁶ Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised^(BB) men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing^(BC) can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many^(BD) or by few.^(BE)”

⁷ “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

⁸ Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign^(BF) that the Lord has given them into our hands.^(BG)”

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews^(BH) are crawling out of the holes they were hiding^(BI) in.” ¹² The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.^(BJ)”

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand^(BK) of Israel.”

¹³ Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. ¹⁴ In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Israel Routs the Philistines

¹⁵ Then panic^(BL) struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding^(BM) parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.^[i]

¹⁶ Saul’s lookouts^(BN) at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. ¹⁷ Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.

¹⁸ Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring^(BO) the ark^(BP) of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.)^{[j] 19} While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest,^(BQ) “Withdraw your hand.”

²⁰ Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking^(BR) each other with their swords. ²¹ Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went^(BS) over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² When all the Israelites who had hidden^(BT) in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. ²³ So on that day the Lord saved^(BU) Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.^(BV)

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

¹⁸ “I am not referring to all of you;^(A) I know those I have chosen.^(B) But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture:^(C) ‘He who shared my bread^(D) has turned^[a](E) against me.’^[b](F)

¹⁹ “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe^(G) that I am who I am.^{(H) 20} Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”^(I)

²¹ After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit^(J) and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”^(K)

²² His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. ²³ One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved,^(L) was reclining next to him. ²⁴ Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

²⁵ Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”^(M)

²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas,^(N) the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.^(O)

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” ²⁸ But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹ Since Judas had charge of the money,^(P) some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival,^(Q) or to give something to the poor.^{(R) 30} As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.^(S)

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial^(T)

³¹ When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man^(U) is glorified^(V) and God is glorified in him.^{(W) 32} If God is glorified in him,^[c] God will glorify the Son in himself,^(X) and will glorify him at once.

³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.^(Y)

³⁴ “A new command^(Z) I give you: Love one another.^(AA) As I have loved you, so you must love one another.^{(AB) 35} By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”^(AC)

³⁶ Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”^(AD)

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now,^(AE) but you will follow later.”^(AF)

³⁷ Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

³⁸ Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!^(AG)