1 Samuel 13
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
13 Saul was . . .[a] years old when he began to reign; and he reigned . . . and two[b][c] years over Israel.
2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel; two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gib′e-ah of Benjamin; the rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines which was at Geba; and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude; they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-a′ven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in straits (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 or crossed the fords of the Jordan[d] to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and salute him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the Lord’; so I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you; for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 15 And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gib′e-ah of Benjamin.
Preparations for Battle
And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shu′al, 18 another company turned toward Beth-hor′on, and another company turned toward the border that looks down upon the valley of Zebo′im toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”; 20 but every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle;[e] 21 and the charge was a pim for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.[f] 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 13:1 The number is lacking in Heb
- 1 Samuel 13:1 Two is not the entire number. Something has dropped out.
- 13.1 Acts 13.21 says Saul reigned forty years; but so did David (2 Sam 5.5). These must be round numbers, to indicate a fairly long rule.
- 1 Samuel 13:7 Cn: Heb Hebrews crossed the Jordan
- 1 Samuel 13:20 Gk: Heb plowshare
- 1 Samuel 13:21 The Heb of this verse is obscure
1 Samuel 13
New Catholic Bible
The Reign of Saul and the Introduction of David
Chapter 13
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice. 1 Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he ruled over Israel for forty-two years. 2 Saul chose three thousand of the men of Israel for himself. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent the rest of the people to their homes.
3 Jonathan attacked an outpost of the Philistines at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Saul had trumpets blown all throughout the land and proclaimed, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 All of Israel heard the report: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become abhorrent to the Philistines.” The people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines were assembled to fight against Israel. They had thirty thousand chariots,[a] six thousand charioteers, and so many men that they seemed like the sand on the shore of the sea. They went up and camped outside of Michmash, to the east of Beth-haven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble for the people were being hard pressed, they hid themselves in caves, in thickets, among the rocks, in cellars, and in cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul was still in Gilgal, and all of the people who were following him trembled with fear. 8 He waited for seven days, the time period that Samuel had established, and yet Samuel had not yet arrived. The people began to drift away. 9 [b]So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offerings and the peace offerings,” and he offered up the burnt offerings. 10 Just as he finished offering up the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him. 11 Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul answered, “I did it because the people were drifting away from me, and you had not arrived at the established time, and the Philistines were assembled at Michmash. 12 I thought, ‘The Philistines are coming down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet made entreaty to the Lord.’ I felt compelled to offer up a burnt offering.”
13 Samuel responded to Saul, “You have acted foolheartedly, you have not observed the command of the Lord, your God. If you had, the Lord would have established your reign over Israel forever. 14 But now your reign shall not endure because you have not observed what the Lord commanded you. The Lord has sought a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as leader over his people.”
15 Preparations for War. Samuel got up and left Gilgal for Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted those who were with him, and there were around six hundred men. 16 Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were with him stayed in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped outside of Michmash.
17 Raiders went out from the camp in Michmash in three groups. One went toward Ophrah into the land of Shual, 18 another went toward Beth-horon, and the third went toward the border that lay over the Valley of Zeboim near the desert.
19 There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel for the Philistines had reasoned, “Otherwise the Hebrews might make swords or spears.” 20 So all of the Israelites had to travel down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, their hoes, their axes, and their sickles sharpened. 21 The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and hoes, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and pointing the goads.[c] 22 This is why on the day of the battle not a sword or a spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and Jonathan, his son, had them. 23 Now a force of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 13:5 Thirty thousand chariots: some of the Greek translations render it as “three thousand.”
- 1 Samuel 13:9 Saul became impatient and took matters in his own hands by offering sacrifice himself, instead of waiting for a priest as prescribed by the law. His disobedience did not sit well with Samuel or with the Lord.
- 1 Samuel 13:21 A very high price for this period.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
