1 Samuel 13:15-22
New Living Translation
Israel’s Military Disadvantage
15 Samuel then left Gilgal and went on his way, but the rest of the troops went with Saul to meet the army. They went up from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin.[a] When Saul counted the men who were still with him, he found only 600 were left! 16 Saul and Jonathan and the troops with them were staying at Geba in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines set up their camp at Micmash. 17 Three raiding parties soon left the camp of the Philistines. One went north toward Ophrah in the land of Shual, 18 another went west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the wilderness.
19 There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn’t allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews. 20 So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles,[b] they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. 21 The charges were as follows: a quarter of an ounce[c] of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce[d] for sharpening an ax or making the point of an ox goad. 22 So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan.
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1 Samuel 13:15-22
Lexham English Bible
15 Then Samuel got up and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul mustered the people who were found with him, about six hundred men. 16 Saul and Jonathan his son and the army that remained with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines encamped at Micmash. 17 The raiders[a] went out from the camp of the Philistines in three divisions. One division turned on the road[b] to Ophrah toward the land of Shual. 18 One division turned on the road[c] to Beth Horon, and one turned on the road[d] toward the border overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now no skilled craftsman could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “So that the Hebrews cannot make swords or spears for themselves.” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to have his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his iron plowshare[e] sharpened. 21 The charge[f] was two-thirds of a shekel[g] for the plowshare and for the mattock, and a third of a shekel for the pick[h] and for the axe, and to set the goading sticks. 22 So[i] on the day of battle, there was not a sword or a spear found in the hands of all the army that was with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.[j]
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- 1 Samuel 13:17 Literally “destroyers”
- 1 Samuel 13:17 Or “way”
- 1 Samuel 13:18 Or “way”
- 1 Samuel 13:18 Or “way”
- 1 Samuel 13:20 So the Masoretic Hebrew text; LXX reads “sickle”
- 1 Samuel 13:21 Or “fee”
- 1 Samuel 13:21 Literally “a pim” (possibly a stone weight used as a measure)
- 1 Samuel 13:21 Literally “and for three, a pick” (uncertain; perhaps meaning “a third of a shekel,” or a three-pronged pick”
- 1 Samuel 13:22 Literally, “And it happened”
- 1 Samuel 13:22 Literally, “it could be found for Saul and for Jonathan his son”
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