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)