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 19
Saul Tries to Kill David
1And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. afBut Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. 2And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” 4And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king agsin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5For ahhe took his life in his hand aiand he struck down the Philistine, ajand the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against akinnocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, al“As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence amas before.8And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9 anThen a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. aoAnd David was playing the lyre. 10 apAnd Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
11 aqSaul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 arSo Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13Michal took asan image ▼
▼Or a household god
and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16And when the messengers came in, behold, authe image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. 17Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. avWhy should I kill you?’” 18Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at awRamah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, axthe Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, ayand they also prophesied. 21When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, azand they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, baand they also prophesied. 22Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in bbRamah.” 23And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. bcAnd the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 bdAnd he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, be“Is Saul also among the prophets?”
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