1Saul was 30 years old when he became king; and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.*

2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel; of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in Mount Bethel, and a thousand were with (his son) Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and he sent the rest of the people to their tents. 3And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4And all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that the Philistines now abhorred Israel. And the people came together to Saul in Gilgal. 5And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel with thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and as many men as the sand on the seashore; and they came up, and camped in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were hedged in, they hid in caves, thickets, rocks, high places, and in pits. 7And some of the Hebrews fled across the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling. 8And he waited seven days, as Samuel had instructed him; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were drifting away from Saul. 9And so Saul said, “Bring here to me a burnt offering, and peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10And as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived; and Saul went out to greet him. 11But Samuel asked, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you had not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were gathered together at Michmash, 12I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD’; so therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” 13And Samuel replied, “You have done foolishly: you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you; for the LORD would have established your kingdom upon Israel forever. 14But 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 ruler over His people, because you have not obeyed what the LORD commanded you.” 15And Samuel arose, left Gilgal, and went to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him - about six hundred men. 16And Saul, Jonathan, his son, and the people who were present with them, remained in Gibeah; while the Philistines camped in Michmash. 17And spoilers (raiding parties) came out of the camp of the Philistines in three groups: one group turned to the road that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18Another group turned up the road to Beth-horon; and third group turned to the road along the border overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19Now there were no blacksmiths throughout all of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Or else the Hebrews will make themselves swords or spears”: 20And so the Israelites had gone to the Philistines, to sharpen each man’s plowshare, mattock, axe, and sickle. 21But they did have a file for the sickles, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, to sharpen the goads. 22So in the day of battle, there was neither sword nor spear found with any of Saul’s people; except with Saul and Jonathan, his son; they each had one.

.23And the garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass of Michmash.