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 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