Study Desk

Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to ^(C1)Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul ^(F1)counted the people who were ^(F2)present with him, ^(C2)about six hundred men.

Now Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were ^(F1)present with them were staying in ^(C1)Geba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash.

Then ^(F1)(C1)raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three ^(F2)companies: one ^(F3)company turned ^(F4)toward ^(C2)Ophrah, to the land of Shual,

and another ^(F1)company turned ^(F2)toward ^(C1)Beth-horon, and another ^(F1)company turned ^(F2)toward the border that overlooks the Valley of ^(C2)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

Now ^(C1)no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make ^(F1)(C2)swords or spears."

So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe.

The charge was ^(F1)two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the ^(F2)cattle goads.

So it came about on the day of battle that ^(C1)neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan.