Capítulo 13

1 - Saul was thirty A few late manuscripts of the Septuagint; Hebrew does not have [thirty.] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years.

2 - Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

3 - Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews hear!"

4 - So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines." And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

5 - The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew [thirty thousand] chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven.

6 - When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.

7 - Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.

8 - He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter.

9 - So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering.

10 - Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

11 - "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,

12 - I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."

13 - "You have done a foolish thing," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.

14 - But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."

15 - Then Samuel left Gilgal Hebrew; Septuagint [Gilgal and went his way; the rest of the people went after Saul to meet the army, and they went out of Gilgal] and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.

16 - Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts [Geba,] a variant of [Gibeah] in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash.

17 - Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,

18 - another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.

19 - Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!"

20 - So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles Septuagint; Hebrew [plow points] sharpened.

21 - The price was two-thirds of a shekel That is, about 1/4 ounce or about 8 grams for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel That is, about 1/8 ounce or about 4 grams for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

22 - So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

23 - Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.