15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to (A)Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul [a]counted the people who were [b]present with him, (B)about six hundred men. 16 Now Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were [c]present with them were staying in (C)Geba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash. 17 Then (D)[d]raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three [e]companies: one [f]company turned [g]toward (E)Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 and another [h]company turned [i]toward (F)Beth-horon, and another [j]company turned [k]toward the border that overlooks the Valley of (G)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

19 Now (H)no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make [l](I)swords or spears.” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe. 21 The charge was [m]two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the [n]cattle goads. 22 So it came about on the day of battle that (J)neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:15 Lit mustered
  2. 1 Samuel 13:15 Lit found
  3. 1 Samuel 13:16 Lit found
  4. 1 Samuel 13:17 Lit destroyers
  5. 1 Samuel 13:17 Lit heads
  6. 1 Samuel 13:17 Lit head
  7. 1 Samuel 13:17 Lit to the way of
  8. 1 Samuel 13:18 Lit head
  9. 1 Samuel 13:18 Lit the way of
  10. 1 Samuel 13:18 Lit head
  11. 1 Samuel 13:18 Lit the way of
  12. 1 Samuel 13:19 Lit sword or spear
  13. 1 Samuel 13:21 Heb pim
  14. 1 Samuel 13:21 I.e., spiked sticks for driving cattle

15 And Samuel left and went on his way from Gilgal.[a] The rest of the people followed Saul to join the army; they went up from Gilgal toward Gibeah of Benjamin.[b]

Preparations for Battle

Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.(A) 16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped at Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah to the land of Shual,(B) 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the mountain[c] that looks down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.(C)

19 Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “The Hebrews must not make swords or spears for themselves,”(D) 20 so all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, or sickles.[d] 21 The charge was two-thirds of a shekel[e] for the plowshares and for the mattocks and one-third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.[f] 22 So on the day of the battle neither sword nor spear was to be found in the possession of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 13.15 Gk: Heb went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin
  2. 13.15 Gk: Heb lacks The rest . . . of Benjamin
  3. 13.18 Cn: Heb border road
  4. 13.20 Gk: Heb plowshare
  5. 13.21 Heb was a pim
  6. 13.21 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain