15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal[a] to (A)Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, (B)about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in (C)Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And (D)raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward (E)Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of (F)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

19 (G)Now there was no blacksmith 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,[b] 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel[c] for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel[d] for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.[e] 22 So on the day of the battle (H)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.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:15 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks The rest of the people… from Gilgal
  2. 1 Samuel 13:20 Septuagint; Hebrew plowshare
  3. 1 Samuel 13:21 Hebrew was a pim
  4. 1 Samuel 13:21 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  5. 1 Samuel 13:21 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain

15 Then Samuel went[a] from Gilgal to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul registered the troops who were with him, about 600 men.

16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the troops who were with them were staying in Geba(A) of Benjamin, and the Philistines were camped at Michmash. 17 Raiding parties(B) went out from the Philistine camp in three divisions. One division headed toward the Ophrah(C) road leading to the land of Shual. 18 The next division headed toward the Beth-horon(D) road, and the last division headed down the border road that looks out over the Valley of Zeboim(E) toward the wilderness.

19 No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel,(F) because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” 20 So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles.[b] 21 The price was two-thirds of a shekel[c] for plows and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for pitchforks and axes, and for putting a point on an oxgoad. 22 So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul(G) and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:15 LXX reads Samuel left Gilgal and went on his way, and the rest of the people followed Saul to join the people in his army. They went
  2. 1 Samuel 13:20 LXX; MT reads plowshares
  3. 1 Samuel 13:21 Lit of a pim; about ¼ ounce of silver