Samuel rebukes Saul
1Saul was thirty13:1 A few late manuscripts of the Septuagint; Hebrew does not have thirty. years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel for forty-13:1 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Acts 13:21); Masoretic Text does not have forty-. two years.
2Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
3Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, ‘Let the Hebrews hear!’ 4So all Israel heard the news: ‘Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.’ And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand13:5 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew thirty thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth Aven. 6When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8He waited for seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.’ And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11‘What have you done?’ asked Samuel.
Saul replied, ‘When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12I thought, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favour.” So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.’
13‘You have done a foolish thing,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.’
15Then Samuel left Gilgal13:15 Hebrew; Septuagint Gilgal and went his way; the rest of the people went after Saul to meet the army, and they went out of Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.
Israel without weapons
16Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah13:16 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts Geba, a variant of Gibeah of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Michmash. 17Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned towards Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual, 18another towards Beth Horon, and the third towards the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.
19Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, ‘Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!’ 20So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their ploughshares, mattocks, axes and sickles13:20 Septuagint; Hebrew ploughshares sharpened. 21The price was two-thirds of a shekel13:21 That is, about 8 grams for sharpening ploughshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel13:21 That is, about 4 grams for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.
22So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
Jonathan attacks the Philistines
23Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
扫罗犯罪
1扫罗四十岁13:1 希伯来文无“四十岁”，一些七十士希腊文译本有此数字。登基。他在统治以色列的第二年， 2从以色列人中选出三千人，亲自带领其中的两千人到密抹和伯特利山，另外一千人和约拿单留在便雅悯境内的基比亚。他把其余的人遣散回家。 3约拿单攻打迦巴的非利士驻军，非利士人听到了这消息。于是，扫罗在各地吹响号角，通告希伯来人。 4以色列众人听说扫罗攻打非利士人的驻军，并听说非利士人对以色列人恨之入骨，便响应扫罗的号召，聚集在吉甲。 5非利士人调兵遣将，要攻打以色列。他们有三万辆战车和六千骑兵，步兵多如海边的沙。大军来到伯·亚文以东的密抹，驻扎在那里。 6以色列人看见敌军压境，情势危急，纷纷躲进山洞、丛林、石穴、地洞和坑里。 7有些希伯来人过了约旦河，逃到迦得和基列。但扫罗仍然留在吉甲，跟随他的人都害怕得发抖。
8扫罗按着撒母耳所定的日期在吉甲等了七天，可是撒母耳还没有来。扫罗的军兵开始溜走。 9于是，扫罗说：“你们把燔祭和平安祭带到我这里来”。他就献上了燔祭。 10扫罗刚把燔祭献完，撒母耳就来了，扫罗出去迎接他，向他问安。 11撒母耳对扫罗说：“你做的是什么事？”扫罗答道：“我看见手下的人不断离我而去，你到了约定的时候还没有来，而且非利士人就聚集在密抹。 12我想非利士人就要到吉甲来攻打我们了，但我们还没有向耶和华求助，我迫不得已，就献上燔祭了。” 13撒母耳说：“你真糊涂！你违背了你的上帝耶和华的命令。祂本来要使你的王位在以色列永远坚立， 14但现在你的王位不能长久了，耶和华已经找到一个合祂心意的人，要立他做百姓的君王。因为你没有遵守耶和华的命令。” 15撒母耳离开吉甲去便雅悯境内的基比亚。扫罗数了一下跟随他的人，约有六百人。
16扫罗及其儿子约拿单和随从留在便雅悯境内的迦巴，非利士人则在密抹扎营。 17非利士人分成三队施行突袭，一队前往书亚境内的俄弗拉， 18一队前往伯·和仑，一队前往边境地区，那里可以俯瞰旷野附近的洗波音谷。
19那时，以色列全境找不到一个铁匠，这是因为非利士人的禁令，以免希伯来人制造刀枪。 20以色列人都要到非利士的铁匠那里去磨锄、犁、斧和铲。 21磨锄或犁要花八克银子，磨三齿叉、斧头或赶畜棒要花四克银子。 22所以在交战的日子，除了扫罗和约拿单外，其他以色列人手上都没有刀枪。 23当时非利士的一队防兵前往密抹的隘口驻守。
