1 Samuel 13

Saul Fights the Philistines

1Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,
Hebrew Saul was one year old when he became king, and he reigned two years over Israel (see 1 Samuel 10:6); some Greek manuscripts give Saul’s age when he began to reign as thirty years
2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in bMichmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in cGibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3Jonathan defeated dthe garrison of the Philistines that was eat Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul fblew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

5And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops glike the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of hBeth-aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves iin caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

8 jHe waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13And Samuel said to Saul, k“You have done foolishly. lYou have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now myour kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man nafter his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince
Or leader
over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal
Septuagint; Hebrew lacks  The rest of the people . . . from Gilgal
to qGibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, rabout six hundred men.
16And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in sGeba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17And traiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18another company turned toward uBeth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of vZeboim toward the wilderness.

19 wNow there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,
Septuagint; Hebrew plowshare
21and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel
Hebrew  was a pim
for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel
A  shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.
The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
22So on the day of the battle abthere was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23And acthe garrison of the Philistines went out to the adpass of aeMichmash.

1 Samuel 15

The Lord Rejects Saul

1And Samuel said to Saul, af“The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel agin opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek and ahdevote to destruction
That is, set apart ( devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20, 21
all that they have. Do not spare them, ajbut kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

4So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6Then Saul said to akthe Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. alFor you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 amAnd Saul defeated the Amalekites from anHavilah as far as aoShur, which is east of Egypt. 8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive apand devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 aqBut Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves
The meaning of the Hebrew term is uncertain
and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

10The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 as“I regret
See also verses 29, 35
that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and auhas not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
12And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to avCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, awBlessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, axfor the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

17And Samuel said, ayThough you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? azWhy did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20And Saul said to Samuel, ba“I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 bbBut the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22And Samuel said,

bc“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, bdto obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and beidolatry.
Because bfyou have rejected the word of the Lord,
bghe has also rejected you from being king.”
24Saul said to Samuel, bh“I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25Now therefore, please pardon my sin and bireturn with me that I may bow before the Lord.” 26And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. bjFor you have rejected the word of the Lord, bkand the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 blAs Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28And Samuel said to him, bm“The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29And also the Glory of Israel bnwill not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” 30Then he said, “I have sinned; yet bohonor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, bpand return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.” 31So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.

32Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully.
Or haltingly (compare Septuagint); the Hebrew is uncertain
Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33And Samuel said, brAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord bsin Gilgal.

34Then Samuel went btto Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in buGibeah of Saul. 35 bvAnd Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, bwbut Samuel grieved over Saul. bxAnd the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

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