Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

13 Saul [a]reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in (A)Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with (B)Jonathan in (C)Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

And Jonathan attacked (D)the garrison of the Philistines that was in (E)Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become [b]an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.

Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, [c]thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people (F)as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of (G)Beth Aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people (H)hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the (I)land of Gad and Gilead.

As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:1 Heb. is difficult; cf. 2 Sam. 5:4; 2 Kin. 14:2; see also 2 Sam. 2:10; Acts 13:21
  2. 1 Samuel 13:4 odious
  3. 1 Samuel 13:5 So with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; Syr. and some mss. of LXX three thousand

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