1Sa 13, 1Sa 23 | ESV | STEP | Saul lived for one year and then became king , and when he had reigned for two years over Israel ,

1 Saul 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} 2 Saul 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. 3 Jonathan 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.” 4 And 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.

5 And 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. 6 When 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, 7 and 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. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel 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, 12 I 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.” 13 And 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. 14 But 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.” 15 And 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. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in ^sGeba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And ^traiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another 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.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew plowshare} 21 and 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} 22 So 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. 23 And ^acthe garrison of the Philistines went out to the ^adpass of ^aeMichmash.

1 Samuel 23

David Saves the City of Keilah

1 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against ^afKeilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David ^aginquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David ^ahinquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, ^aifor I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 ^ajWhen Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, ^ak“Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, ^al“They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, ^amwho were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went ^anwherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country ^aoof the wilderness of ^apZiph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

Saul Pursues David

15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. ^aqSaul my father also knows this.” 18 ^arAnd the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

19 ^asThen the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of ^atJeshimon? 20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, ^auand our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” 21 And Saul said, ^av“May you be blessed by the Lord, ^awfor you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

Now David and his men were ^axin the wilderness of Maon, ^ayin the Arabah to the south of ^azJeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. ^{▼▼Or Rock of Divisions} 29 ^{▼▼Ch 24:1 in Hebrew} And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of ^bcEngedi.