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1 Samuel 13
New English Translation

Saul Fails the Lord

13 Saul was [thirty][a] years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty][b] years. 2 Saul selected for himself 3,000 men from Israel. Of these 2,000 were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel; the remaining 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.[c] He sent all the rest of the people back home.[d]

3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost[e] that was at Geba and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul alerted[f] all the land saying, “Let the Hebrews pay attention!” 4 All Israel heard this message,[g] “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel is repulsive[h] to the Philistines!” So the people were summoned to join[i] Saul at Gilgal.

5 Meanwhile the Philistines gathered to battle with Israel. Then they went up against Israel[j] with 3,000 chariots,[k] 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds,[l] and cisterns. 7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River[m] to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was terrified. 8 He waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel.[n] But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul.[o]

9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered a burnt offering. 10 Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.[p]

11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the army had started to abandon me,[q] and that you didn’t come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash, 12 I thought,[r] ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt obligated[s] to offer the burnt offering.”

13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed[t] the commandment that the Lord your God gave[u] you. Had you done that, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has sought out[v] for himself a man who is loyal to him,[w] and the Lord has appointed[x] him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you.”

15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal[y] to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.[z] Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about 600 men. 16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the army that remained with them stayed in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Micmash.[aa] 17 Raiding bands went out from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One band turned toward the road leading to Ophrah by the land of Shual; 18 another band turned toward the road leading to Beth Horon; and yet another band turned toward the road leading to the border that overlooks the valley of Zeboyim in the direction of the desert.

19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.” 20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles[ab] sharpened. 21 They charged[ac] two-thirds of a shekel[ad] to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and one-third of a shekel[ae] to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox goads. 22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan Ignites a Battle

23 A garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:1 tc The MT does not have “thirty.” A number appears to have dropped out of the Hebrew text here, since as it stands the MT (literally, “a son of a year”) must mean that Saul was only one year old when he began to reign! The KJV, attempting to resolve this, reads “Saul reigned one year,” but that is not the normal meaning of the Hebrew text represented by the MT. Although most LXX mss lack the entire verse, some Greek mss have “thirty years” here (while others have “one year” like the MT). The Syriac Peshitta has Saul’s age as twenty-one. But this seems impossible to harmonize with the implied age of Saul’s son Jonathan in the following verse. Taking into account the fact that in v. 2 Jonathan was old enough to be a military leader, some scholars prefer to supply in v. 1 the number forty (cf. ASV, NASB). The present translation (“thirty”) is a possible but admittedly uncertain proposal based on a few Greek mss and followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT). Other English versions simply supply ellipsis marks for the missing number (e.g., NAB, NRSV).
  2. 1 Samuel 13:1 tc The MT has “two years” here. If this number is to be accepted as correct, the meaning apparently would be that after a lapse of two years at the beginning of Saul’s reign, he then went about the task of consolidating an army as described in what follows (cf. KJV, ASV, CEV). But if the statement in v. 1 is intended to be a comprehensive report on the length of Saul’s reign, the number is too small. According to Acts 13:21 Saul reigned for forty years. Some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT), taking this forty to be a round number, add it to the “two years” of the MT and translate the number here as “forty-two years.” While this is an acceptable option, the present translation instead replaces the MT’s “two” with the figure “forty.” Admittedly the textual evidence for this decision is weak, but the same can be said of any attempt to restore sense to this difficult text (note the ellipsis marks at this point in NAB, NRSV). The Syriac Peshitta lacks this part of v. 1.
  3. 1 Samuel 13:2 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  4. 1 Samuel 13:2 tn Heb “each one to his tents.”
  5. 1 Samuel 13:3 tn Or perhaps “struck down the Philistine official.” See the note at 1 Sam 10:5. Cf. TEV “killed the Philistine commander.”
  6. 1 Samuel 13:3 tn Heb “blew the ram’s horn in.”
  7. 1 Samuel 13:4 tn The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  8. 1 Samuel 13:4 tn Heb “stinks.” The figurative language indicates that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines.
  9. 1 Samuel 13:4 tn Heb “were summoned after.”
  10. 1 Samuel 13:5 tc The MT omits “they went up against Israel” in a case of homoioteleuton, but these words are preserved in LXX.
  11. 1 Samuel 13:5 tc The translation follows the Lucianic Greek rescension and the Syriac. Many English versions follow the MT (e.g., KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV) reading “30,000” here. One expects there to be more horsemen than chariots, cf. 2 Kgs 13:7; 2 Chr 12:3.
  12. 1 Samuel 13:6 tn Or perhaps “vaults.” This rare term also occurs in Judg 9:46, 49. Cf. KJV “high places”; ASV “coverts”; NAB “caverns”; NASB “cellars”; NIV, NCV, TEV “pits”; NRSV, NLT “tombs.”
  13. 1 Samuel 13:7 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  14. 1 Samuel 13:8 tn This apparently refers to the instructions given by Samuel in 1 Sam 10:8. If so, several years had passed. On the relationship between chs. 10 and 13, see V. P. Long, The Art of Biblical History (FCI), 201-23.
  15. 1 Samuel 13:8 tn Heb “dispersed from upon him”; NAB, NRSV “began to slip away.”
  16. 1 Samuel 13:10 tn Heb “to bless him.”
  17. 1 Samuel 13:11 tn Heb “dispersed from upon me.”
  18. 1 Samuel 13:12 tn Heb “said.”
  19. 1 Samuel 13:12 tn Or “I forced myself” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, CEV); NAB “So in my anxiety I offered”; NIV “I felt compelled.”
  20. 1 Samuel 13:13 tn Or “kept.”
  21. 1 Samuel 13:13 tn Heb “commanded.”
  22. 1 Samuel 13:14 tn This verb form, as well as the one that follows (“appointed”), indicates completed action from the standpoint of the speaker. This does not necessarily mean that the Lord had already conducted his search and made his choice, however. The forms may be used for rhetorical effect to emphasize the certainty of the action. The divine search for a new king is as good as done, emphasizing that the days of Saul’s dynasty are numbered.
  23. 1 Samuel 13:14 tn Heb “according to his heart.” The idiomatic expression means to be like-minded with another, as its use in 1 Sam 14:7 indicates.
  24. 1 Samuel 13:14 tn Heb “commanded.”
  25. 1 Samuel 13:15 tc The LXX and two Old Latin mss include the following words here: “on his way. And the rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the warring army. When they arrived from Gilgal….”
  26. 1 Samuel 13:15 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).
  27. 1 Samuel 13:16 tn The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses in v. 16 indicates synchronic action.
  28. 1 Samuel 13:20 tc The translation follows the LXX (“their sickle”) here, rather than the MT “plowshares,” which is due to dittography from the word earlier in the verse.
  29. 1 Samuel 13:21 tn Heb “the price was.” The meaning of the Hebrew word פְּצִירָה (petsirah) is uncertain. This is the only place it occurs in the OT. Some propose the meaning “sharpening,” but “price” is a more likely meaning if the following term refers to a weight (see the following note on the word “shekel”). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238.
  30. 1 Samuel 13:21 tn This word, which appears only here in the OT, probably refers to a stone weight. Stones marked פִּים (pim) have been found in excavations of Palestinian sites. The average weight of such stones is 0.268 ounces, which is equivalent to about two-thirds of a shekel. This probably refers to the price charged by the Philistines for the services listed. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238; DNWSI 2:910; and G. I. Davies, Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions, 259.
  31. 1 Samuel 13:21 tc Heb “and for a third, a pick.” The Hebrew text suffers from haplography at this point. The translation follows the textual reconstruction offered by P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 235.
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1 Samuel 13
Dios Habla Hoy

Guerra contra los filisteos

13 Saúl era mayor de edad cuando comenzó a reinar en Israel; y cuando llevaba ya algunos años reinando, 2 escogió tres mil soldados entre los israelitas. Dos mil se quedaron con él en Micmás y en los montes de Betel, y los otros mil se quedaron con Jonatán en Guibeá de Benjamín. Al resto de la gente, Saúl le ordenó volver a casa. 3 Jonatán acabó con la guarnición filistea que estaba en Guibeá, y los filisteos lo supieron. Entonces Saúl mandó tocar la trompeta en todo el país, para poner sobre aviso a los hebreos.

4 Todos los israelitas supieron que Saúl había acabado con la guarnición filistea y que por eso los filisteos aborrecían a los israelitas, así que el ejército se reunió con Saúl en Guilgal. 5 Los filisteos, a su vez, se juntaron para luchar contra los israelitas. Tenían treinta mil carros de combate, seis mil soldados de caballería y una infantería tan numerosa como la arena del mar. Luego se dirigieron a Micmás y establecieron su campamento allí, al oriente de Bet-avén.

6 Los israelitas se vieron en grave aprieto, pues de tal manera fueron atacados por los filisteos que tuvieron que esconderse en cuevas y hoyos, y entre las peñas, y en zanjas y pozos. 7 Muchos de ellos cruzaron el Jordán, hacia la región de Gad y de Galaad; pero Saúl se quedó todavía en Guilgal, y todo su ejército lo seguía lleno de miedo. 8 Allí esperó Saúl siete días, según el plazo que le había indicado Samuel; pero Samuel no llegaba a Guilgal, y la gente comenzaba a irse. 9 Entonces Saúl ordenó:

—Tráiganme animales para los holocaustos y los sacrificios de reconciliación.

Y él mismo ofreció el holocausto.

10 En el momento en que Saúl terminaba de ofrecer el holocausto, llegó Samuel. Entonces Saúl salió para recibirlo y saludarlo, 11 pero Samuel le dijo:

—¿Por qué has hecho eso?

Saúl respondió:

—Cuando vi que la gente comenzaba a irse, y que tú no llegabas en la fecha indicada, y que los filisteos estaban reunidos en Micmás, 12 pensé que ellos bajarían a atacarme en Guilgal, sin que yo me hubiera encomendado al Señor; por eso me vi en la necesidad de ofrecer yo mismo el holocausto.

13 Samuel le contestó:

—¡Lo que has hecho es una locura! Si hubieras obedecido la orden que el Señor te dio, él habría confirmado para siempre tu reinado en Israel. 14 Pero ahora, tu reinado no permanecerá. El Señor buscará un hombre de su agrado y lo nombrará jefe de su pueblo, porque tú has desobedecido la orden que él te dio.

15 En seguida Samuel se fue de Guilgal para seguir su camino. El resto del ejército siguió a Saúl para entablar combate, y de Guilgal llegaron a Guibeá de Benjamín. Allí contó Saúl las tropas que le acompañaban, y eran unos seiscientos hombres. 16 Saúl y su hijo Jonatán, y las tropas que iban con ellos, se quedaron en Guibeá de Benjamín, mientras que los filisteos acamparon en Micmás, 17 aunque tres grupos de guerrilleros filisteos salieron de su campamento; uno de ellos se dirigió hacia Ofrá, en la región de Sual, 18 otro fue hacia Bet-horón, y el tercero hacia la colina que se eleva sobre el valle de Seboím, hacia el desierto.

19 En todo el territorio de Israel no había un solo herrero, porque los filisteos pensaban que de esa manera los hebreos no podrían fabricar espadas ni lanzas. 20 Todos los israelitas tenían que recurrir a los filisteos para afilar cada cual su reja de arado, su azadón, su hacha o su pico. 21 Se cobraban dos tercios de siclo por afilar rejas y azadones, y un tercio de siclo por afilar las hachas y arreglar las aguijadas. 22 Por lo tanto, ninguno de los que acompañaban a Saúl y Jonatán tenía espada o lanza el día de la batalla. Sólo ellos dos las tenían. 23 Mientras tanto, un destacamento filisteo avanzó hacia el paso de Micmás.

Listen to 1 Samuel 13
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1 Samuel 13
New International Version

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)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:1 A few late manuscripts of the Septuagint; Hebrew does not have thirty.
  2. 1 Samuel 13:1 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Acts 13:21); Masoretic Text does not have forty-.
  3. 1 Samuel 13:5 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew thirty thousand
  4. 1 Samuel 13:15 Hebrew; Septuagint Gilgal and went his way; the rest of the people went after Saul to meet the army, and they went out of Gilgal
  5. 1 Samuel 13:16 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts Geba, a variant of Gibeah
  6. 1 Samuel 13:20 Septuagint; Hebrew plow points
  7. 1 Samuel 13:21 That is, about 1/4 ounce or about 8 grams
  8. 1 Samuel 13:21 That is, about 1/8 ounce or about 4 grams
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1 Samuel 13
International Standard Version

Saul’s Battles against the Philistines

13 Saul was 30[a] years old when he began to reign, and he ruled for 42[b] years over Israel. 2 Saul chose for himself 3,000 men from Israel. There were 2,000 with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He had sent the rest of the people home.[c]

3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison[d] in Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land: “Listen, Hebrews!” 4 All Israel heard the report,[e] “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison[f] and Israel has also become repulsive to the Philistines.” Then the people were summoned to Saul at Gilgal.

5 The Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and people as numerous as the sand on the seashore. And they advanced and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in distress (for the people were in difficult circumstances), the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in crags, in tombs, and in pits. 7 Hebrews went across the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead, but Saul remained in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.

8 Saul[g] waited seven days for the appointment set by Samuel. When Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, as the people began to scatter from Saul,[h] 9 Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering and the peace offering to me,” and he offered the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to meet and greet him.

11 Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul replied, “When? I saw that the people were scattering from me, that you didn’t come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash. 12 I[i] thought, ‘The Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal but I’ve not sought the favor of the Lord,’ so I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

13 Then Samuel told Saul, “You have acted foolishly. You haven’t obeyed the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, 14 but now your kingdom won’t be established. The Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as Commander-in-Chief[j] over his people because you didn’t obey that which the Lord commanded you.”

15 Then Samuel got up and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul mustered the people present with him, about 600 men. 16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people present with them remained in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Michmash. 17 Raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three companies. One company turned in the direction of[k] Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 one company turned in the direction of[l] Beth-horon, while the one company turned toward the border[m] that overlooks the valley of Zeboiim toward the desert.

The Philistine Monopoly on Metal Working

19 No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines thought, “This will keep the Hebrews from making swords or spears.” 20 Everyone in Israel would have to go to the Philistines so each person could sharpen his plow, his mattock, his axe, and his sickle.[n] 21 The charge was one pin[o] for plows, mattocks, three pronged forks,[p] and axes, or for setting the goads. 22 On the day of battle, none of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan were armed with swords or spears, but Saul and his son Jonathan did have[q] them. 23 Now a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass of Michmash.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:1 So a few late LXX mss.; the Heb. lacks 30
  2. 1 Samuel 13:1 Lit. two; cf. Acts 13:21; Josephus’s Antiquities VI.14.9 cites Saul as reigning 18 years before Samuel’s death and 22 years after. But Antiquities X.8.4 cites only 20 years for Saul’s reign.
  3. 1 Samuel 13:2 Lit. each to his own tent
  4. 1 Samuel 13:3 Or struck down the Philistine leader
  5. 1 Samuel 13:4 Lit. heard, saying
  6. 1 Samuel 13:4 Or struck down the Philistine leader
  7. 1 Samuel 13:8 Lit. He
  8. 1 Samuel 13:8 Lit. him
  9. 1 Samuel 13:12 Or When I … Michmash, 12 I
  10. 1 Samuel 13:14 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and administrative authority
  11. 1 Samuel 13:17 Or along the road to
  12. 1 Samuel 13:18 Or along the road to
  13. 1 Samuel 13:18 Or along the border road
  14. 1 Samuel 13:20 So LXX; MT, plow
  15. 1 Samuel 13:21 I.e. a unit of measurement equal to about 2/3 of a shekel, weighing about 0.3 ounces; one shekel weighed about 0.4 ounces
  16. 1 Samuel 13:21 The meaning of MT is uncertain
  17. 1 Samuel 13:22 Lit. were found with
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