13OMITTED TEXTH7586H4427H1121H8141H4427H8147H8141H34782Saul picked three thousand men, keeping two thousand of them with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel and sending one thousand with his son Jonathan to Gibeah, in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. The rest of the men Saul sent home.H7586H977H7969H505H3478H505H7586H4363H2022H1008H505H3129H1390H1144H3499H5971H7971H376H1683Jonathan killed the Philistine commander in Geba, and all the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul sent messengers to call the Hebrews to war by blowing a trumpet throughout the whole country.H3129H5221H5333H6430H1387H6430H8085H7586H8628H7782H776H559H5680H80854All the Israelites were told that Saul had killed the Philistine commander and that the Philistines hated them. So the people answered the call to join Saul at Gilgal.H3478H8085H559H7586H5221H5333H6430H3478H887H6430H5971H6817H310H7586H15375The Philistines assembled to fight the Israelites; they had thirty thousand war chariots, six thousand cavalry troops, and as many soldiers as there are grains of sand on the seashore. They went to Michmash, east of Bethaven, and camped there.H6430H622H3898H3478H7970H505H7393H8337H505H6571H5971H2344H3220H8193H7230H5927H2583H4363H6926H10076Then they launched a strong attack against the Israelites, putting them in a desperate situation. Some of the Israelites hid in caves and holes or among the rocks or in pits and wells;H376H3478H7200H6887H5971H5065H5971H2244H4631H2337H5553H6877H9537others crossed the Jordan River into the territories of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and the people with him were trembling with fear.H5680H5674H3383H776H1410H1568H7586H1537H5971H310H27298He waited seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him to do, but Samuel still had not come to Gilgal. The people began to desert Saul,H3176H3176H7651H3117H4150H8050H8050H935H1537H5971H63279so he said to them, "Bring me the burnt sacrifices and the fellowship sacrifices." He offered a burnt sacrifice,H7586H559H5066H5930H8002H5927H593010and just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him,H3615H5927H5930H8050H935H7586H3318H7125H128811but Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul answered, "The people were deserting me, and you had not come when you said you would; besides that, the Philistines are gathering at Michmash.H8050H559H6213H7586H559H7200H5971H5310H935H3117H4150H6430H622H436312So I thought, 'The Philistines are going to attack me here in Gilgal, and I have not tried to win the LORD's favor.' So I felt I had to offer a sacrifice."H559H6430H3381H1537H2470H6440H3068H662H5927H593013"That was a foolish thing to do," Samuel answered. "You have not obeyed the command the LORD your God gave you. If you had obeyed, he would have let you and your descendants rule over Israel forever.H8050H559H7586H5528H8104H4687H3068H430H6680H3068H3559H4467H3478H5704H576914But now your rule will not continue. Because you have disobeyed him, the LORD will find the kind of man he wants and make him ruler of his people."H4467H6965H3068H1245H376H3824H3068H6680H5057H5971H8104H3068H668015Samuel left Gilgal and went on his way. The rest of the people followed Saul as he went to join his soldiers. They went from Gilgal to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. Saul inspected his troops, about six hundred men.H8050H6965H5927H1537H1390H1144H7586H6485H5971H4672H8337H3967H37616Saul, his son Jonathan, and their men camped in Geba in the territory of Benjamin; the Philistine camp was at Michmash.H7586H3129H1121H5971H4672H3427H1387H1144H6430H2583H436317The Philistine soldiers went out on raids from their camp in three groups: one group went toward Ophrah in the territory of Shual,H7843H3318H4264H6430H7969H7218H259H7218H6437H1870H6084H776H777718another went toward Beth Horon, and the other one went to the border overlooking Zeboim Valley and the wilderness.H259H7218H6437H1870H1032H259H7218H6437H1870H1366H8259H1516H6650H405719There were no blacksmiths in Israel because the Philistines were determined to keep the Hebrews from making swords and spears.H2796H4672H776H3478H6430H559H5680H6213H2719H259520(The Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened;H3478H3381H6430H3913H376H4282H855H7134H428121the charge was one small coin for sharpening axes and for fixing goads, and two coins for sharpening plows or hoes.)H6477H6310H4281H855H7969H7053H7134H5324H186122And so on the day of battle none of the Israelite soldiers except Saul and his son Jonathan had swords or spears.H3117H4421H2719H2595H4672H3027H5971H7586H3129H7586H3129H1121H467223The Philistines sent a group of soldiers to defend Michmash Pass.H4673H6430H3318H4569H4363