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¹ Saul reigned one yeere, and when he had reigned two yeeres ouer Israel, ² Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel: whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash, and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Ionathan in Gibeah of Beniamin: and the rest of the people he sent euery man to his tent. ³ And Ionathan smote the garison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it: and Saul blew the trumpet thorowout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrewes heare. ⁴ And all Israel heard say, that Saul had smitten a garison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines: and the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. ⁵ And the Philistines gathered themselues together, to fight with Israel, thirtie thousand charets, and sixe thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude, and they came vp, and pitched in Michmash, Eastward from Bethauen. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait: (for the people were distressed:) then the people did hide themselues in caues, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. ⁷ And some of the Hebrewes went ouer Iordane, to the land of Gad and Gilead; as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

⁸ And he taried seuen dayes, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him. ⁹ And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offring to me, and peace offrings. And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ And it came to passe that assoone as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came, and Saul went out to meete him, that he might salute him. ¹¹ And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I sawe that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the dayes appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselues together to Michmash: ¹² Therfore said I, The Philistines will come downe now vpon me to Gilgal, and I haue not made supplication vnto the Lord: I forced my selfe therefore, and offered a burnt offering. ¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandement of the Lord thy God, which hee commanded thee: for now would the Lord haue established thy kingdome vpon Israel for euer. ¹⁴ But now thy kingdome shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his owne heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to bee captaine ouer his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

¹⁵ And Samuel arose, and gate him vp from Gilgal, vnto Gibeah of Beniamin, and Saul numbred the people that were present with him, about sixe hundred men. ¹⁶ And Saul and Ionathan his sonne, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Beniamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ And the spoilers came out of the campe of the Philistines, in three companies: one company turned vnto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, vnto the land of Shual. ¹⁸ And another company turned the way to Bethoron: and another companie turned to the way of the border, that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wildernesse. ¹⁹ Now there was no smith found thorowout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrewes make them swords or speares. ²⁰ But all the Israelites went downe to the Philistines, to sharpen euery man his share and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattocke. ²¹ Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forkes, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. ²² So it came to passe in the day of battell, that there was neither sword nor speare found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Ionathan: but with Saul & with Ionathan his sonne was there found. ²³ And the garison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.