1 Samuel 13 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Saul was [thirty] years old when he became king, and he ruled over Israel for [forty-two] years.

Saul chose three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent the rest of the troops home.

Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul blew the ram's horn throughout the whole land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!"

All Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become an absolute stench to the Philistines." So the people were called up to join Saul at Gilgal.

The Philistines assembled to fight Israel — three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and foot soldiers as countless as sand on the seashore. They came up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in serious trouble — the army was being crushed — they hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, underground pits, and cisterns.

Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the territory of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were shaking with fear.

Saul waited seven days — the time Samuel had set — but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the troops were scattering away from him.

So Saul said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings." And he offered up the burnt offering himself.

Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him.

Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul answered, "I saw the troops scattering away from me, and you hadn't come within the set time, and the Philistines were assembling at Michmash —"

"So I thought, 'The Philistines are about to come down against me at Gilgal, and I haven't sought Yahweh's favor yet.' So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering."

Samuel said to Saul, "You've acted foolishly. You haven't kept the command that Yahweh your God gave you. If you had, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel permanently."

But now your kingdom will not last. Yahweh has already found a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as leader over his people — because you did not keep what Yahweh commanded you.

Then Samuel got up and went from Gilgal to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the troops still with him — about six hundred men.

Saul, his son Jonathan, and the troops with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines were camped at Michmash.

Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three groups: one headed toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,

one headed toward Beth-horon, and one headed toward the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

Now there wasn't a single blacksmith in all of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "We can't let the Hebrews make swords or spears."

All the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles.

The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening axes and setting ox-goads.

So on the day of battle, not a single sword or spear could be found among any of the troops with Saul and Jonathan — only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Meanwhile, a Philistine detachment had moved out to the pass at Michmash.