1Saul was a son of one year, that is, as innocent and clean of sin as a child of one year, when he began to reign; and he reigned upon Israel two and twenty years.

2And Saul chose to him three thousand men of Israel, and two thousand of them were with Saul in Michmash, in the hill of Bethel; and a thousand were with his son Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; soothly he sent again the tother people each man into his tabernacle.

3And Jonathan smote the station, that is, forcelet, either stronghold, of Philistines, that was in Geba. And when Philistines had heard this, Saul sounded with a clarion in all the land, and said, Hebrews, hear.

4And all Israel heard such a fame, that Saul smote the station of Philistines; and Israel raised up himself against the Philistines; then the people cried after Saul in Gilgal.

5And the Philistines were gathered together to fight against Israel; thirty thousand of chariots, and six thousand of knights, and the tother common people, as gravel which is full much in the brink of the sea; and they went up, and setted their tents in Mich-mash, at the east coast of Bethaven.

6And when [the] men of Israel had seen, that they were set in straitness, for the people was tormented, they hid themselves in dens, and in privy places, and in stones, and in ditches, and in cisterns.

7And the men of Hebrews passed over Jordan, into the land of Gad and of Gilead. And when Saul was yet in Gilgal, all the people was afeared that pursued [or followed] him.

8And seven days he abode Samuel by [the] covenant, and Samuel came not into Gilgal; and the people went away from Saul.

9Therefore Saul said, Bring ye to me burnt sacrifice, and peaceable offerings; and he offered burnt sacrifice.

10And when he had ended offering the burnt sacrifice, lo! Samuel came; and Saul went out against him, to greet him.

11And Samuel said to Saul, What hast thou done? Saul answered, Lo! for I saw that the people went away from me, and thou camest not by the days of covenant; and the Philistines were gathered together in Michmash;

12I said, Now Philistines shall come down to me in Gilgal, and I have not pleased the face of the Lord; I was compelled by need, and I offered burnt sacrifice to the Lord.

13And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done follily, and thou hast not kept the behests of thy Lord God, which he commanded to thee; and if thou haddest not done this thing, right now the Lord had made ready thy realm upon Israel without end;

14but thy realm shall not rise further. The Lord hath sought a man to himself after his heart; and the Lord hath commanded to him, that he should be duke on his people, for thou keptest not those things which the Lord commanded.

15And Samuel rose, and went up from Gilgal into Gibeah of Benjamin; and the people that were left went up after Saul against the people that fought against them; and they came from Gilgal into Gibeah, in the hill of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people, that were found with him, as six hundred men.

16And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that was found with them, was in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the Philistines sat together in Michmash.

17And three companies went out of the Philistines’ tents to take prey; one company went against the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual;

18and another company entered by the way of Bethhoron; and the third company turned itself to the way of the term in the land of Diba; and that term nigheth to the valley of Zeboim against the desert.

19And none ironsmith was found in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines were wary, either eschewed, lest per-adventure the Hebrews made sword either spear.

20Therefore all Israel went down to the Philistines, that each man should sharpen his share, and his pickaxe, and his ax, and his cutting hook;

21for all the edges of their shares were blunt, and of their pickaxes, and of their three-toothed forks, and of axes, unto a prick to be amended.

22And when the day of battle came, no sword nor spear was found in the hand of all the people that was with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul, and Jonathan his son.

23Forsooth the station of Philistines went out, that it should pass into Michmash.