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¹ Sha'ul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Yisra'el, ² Sha'ul chose him three thousand men of Yisra'el, whereof two thousand were with Sha'ul in Mikhmash and in the Mount of Beit-El, and one thousand were with Yonatan in Gevah of Binyamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. ³ Yonatan struck the garrison of the Pelishtim that was in Geva: and the Pelishtim heard of it. Sha'ul blew the shofar throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. ⁴ All Yisra'el heard say that Sha'ul had struck the garrison of the Pelishtim, and also that Yisra'el was had in abomination with the Pelishtim. The people were gathered together after Sha'ul to Gilgal. ⁵ The Pelishtim assembled themselves together to fight with Yisra'el, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Mikhmash, eastward of Beit-Aven. ⁶ When the men of Yisra'el saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits. ⁷ Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Yarden to the land of Gad and Gil`ad; but as for Sha'ul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

⁸ He stayed seven days, according to the set time that Shemu'el [had appointed]: but Shemu'el didn't come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. ⁹ Sha'ul said, Bring here the burnt offering to me, and the peace-offerings. He offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ It came to pass that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Shemu'el came; and Sha'ul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. ¹¹ Shemu'el said, What have you done? Sha'ul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn't come within the days appointed, and that the Pelishtim assembled themselves together at Mikhmash; ¹² therefore said I, Now will the Pelishtim come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven't entreated the favor of the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering. ¹³ Shemu'el said to Sha'ul, You have done foolishly; you have not kept the mitzvah of the LORD your God, which he commanded you: for now would the LORD have established your kingdom on Yisra'el forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue: the LORD has sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which the LORD commanded you.

¹⁵ Shemu'el arose, and got him up from Gilgal to Gevah of Binyamin. Sha'ul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. ¹⁶ Sha'ul, and Yonatan his son, and the people who were present with them, abode in Geva of Binyamin: but the Pelishtim encamped in Mikhmash. ¹⁷ The spoilers came out of the camp of the Pelishtim in three companies: one company turned to the way that leads to Ofrat, to the land of Shual; ¹⁸ and another company turned the way to Beit-Horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Tzevo`im toward the wilderness. ¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all Eretz-Yisra'el; for the Pelishtim said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: ²⁰ but all the Yisra'elites went down to the Pelishtim, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle; ²¹ yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the plowshares, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads. ²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Sha'ul and Yonatan: but with Sha'ul and with Yonatan his son was there found. ²³ The garrison of the Pelishtim went out to the pass of Mikhmash.