1 Samuel 13

Saul var....År ved sin Tronbestigelse, og han herskede i....År over Israel.

Saul udvalgte sig 3000 Mand af Israel; af dem var 2000 hos Saul i Mikmas og i Bjergene ved Betel, 1000 hos Jonatan i Gibea i Benjamin; Resten af Krigerne lod han gå hver til sit.

Da fældede Jonatan Filisternes Foged i Geba. Det kom nu Filisterne for Øre, at Hebræerne havde revet sig løs. Men Saul havde ladet støde i Hornet hele Landet over,

og hele Israel hørte, at Saul havde fældet Filisternes Foged, og at Israel havde vakt Filisternes Vrede. Og Folket stævnedes sammen i Gilgal til at følge Saul,

men Filisterne havde samlet sig til Kamp mod Israel, 3000 Stridsvogne, 6000 Ryttere og Fodfolk så talrigt som Sandet ved Havets Bred, og de drog op og lejrede sig i Mikmas lige over for Bet-Aven.

Da Israels Mænd skønnede, hvilken Fare de var i thi Folket blev trængt, skjulte Folket sig i Huler, Jordhuller, Klipperevner, Gruber og Cisterner

eller gik over Jordans Vadesteder til Gads og Gileads Land. Men Saul var endnu i Gilgal, og hele Folket fulgte ham med Frygt i Sind.

Han ventede syv Dage til den Tid, Samuel havde fastsat; men Samuel kom ikke til Gilgal. Da Folket så spredte sig og forlod Saul,

Men lige som han var færdig med at ofre Brændofferet, se, da kom Samuel, og Saul gik ham i Møde for at hilse på ham.

Derpå brød Samuel op og gik bort fra Gilgal; men den tilbageblevne Del af Folket drog op i Følge med Saul for at støde til Krigerne, og de kom fra Gilgal til Gibea i Benjamin. Da mønstrede Saul de Folk, han havde hos sig, omtrent 600 Mand;

og Saul og hans Søn Jonatan og de Folk, de havde hos sig, lå i Geba i Benjamin, medens Filisterne lå lejret i Mikmas.

Fra Filisternes Lejr drog så en Skare ud i tre Afdelinger for at plyndre; den ene Afdeling drog i Retning af Ofra til Sjualegnen,

den anden i Retning af Bet Horon og den tredje i Retning af den Høj, som rager op over Zeboimdalen, ad Ørkenen til.

Men der fandtes ingen Smede i hele Israels Land; thi Filisterne havde tænkt, at Hebræerne ellers kunde lave sig Sværd og Spyd;

derfor måtte hele Israel drage ned til Filisterne for at få hvæsset deres Plovjern, Hakker, Økser eller Pigkæppe;

det kostede en Pim at få slebet Plovjem og Hakker og en Tredjedel Sekel for Økser og for at indsætte Pig.

Således fandtes der, den Dag Slaget stod ved Mikmas, hverken Sværd eller Spyd hos nogen af Krigerne, som var hos Saul og Jonatan; kun Saul og hans Søn Jonatan havde Våben.

Filisternes Forpost rykkede frem til Mikmaspasset.

Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, {reigned one...: Heb. the son of one year in his reigning}

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 Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that {was} in Geba, and the Philistines heard {of it}. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. {Geba: or, the hill}

And all Israel heard say {that} Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and {that} Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. {was...: Heb. did stink}

And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which {is} on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

And {some of} the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he {was} yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. {followed...: Heb. trembled after him}

And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel {had appointed}: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.

And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. {salute: Heb. bless}

And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and {that} thou camest not within the days appointed, and {that} the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;

Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. {made...: Heb. intreated the face}

And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him {to be} captain over his people, because thou hast not kept {that} which the LORD commanded thee.

And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people {that were} present with him, about six hundred men. {present: Heb. found}

And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people {that were} present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. {present: Heb. found} {Gibeah: Heb. Geba}

And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way {that leadeth to} Ophrah, unto the land of Shual:

And another company turned the way {to} Bethhoron: and another company turned {to} the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make {them} swords or spears:

But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.

Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. {a file: Heb. a file with mouths, or Heb. a pim, a third of a shekel} {sharpen: Heb. set}

So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that {were} with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash. {garrison: or, standing camp}