War with the Philistines

1Saul now had ben king one yere (& he raigned two yeres ouer Israel.)

2And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel: Two thousand were with Saul in Michmas and in mount Bethel, and a thousand with Ionathan in Gibea Beniamin: and the rest of the people he sent euery man to his tent. 3And Ionathan smote the garison of the Philistines that was in the hill, and it came to the Philistines eares: And Saul blewe ye trumpet throughout al the land, saying: Let the Hebrues heare. 4And all Israel hearde say howe that Saul had destroyed a garison of ye Philistines: wherfore Israel was had in abomination with ye Pilistines. And the people gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

5The Philistines also gathered them selues together to fyght with Israel, thirtie thousand charettes, & sixe thousand horsemen, with other people lyke the sand by the seas side in multitude, & came vp, and pitched in Michmas, eastwarde from Bethauen. 6And when the men of Israel sawe it, they were in a strayte (and the people were in a distresse) & the people hyd the selues in caues, and in holdes, and in rockes, and iin hye places, and in pittes. 7And some of the Hebrues went ouer Iordane to go vnto the land of Gad and Gilead: And Saul was yet in Gilgal, and all the people being afrayde, folowed him.

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

8And he taried seuen dayes, euen vnto the time that Samuel had appoynted: But Samuel came not to Gilgal, and the people were therfore skattered from him. 9And Saul sayde: Bring a burnt sacrifice to me, and peace offeringes. And he offered a burnt sacrifice.

10And assoone as he had made an ende of offering the burnt sacrifice, beholde Samuel came, and Saul went against him, to salute him. 11And Samuel sayde: What hast thou done? Saul sayde: Because I sawe that the people skattered from me, and that thou camest not within the dayes appointed, and that the Philistines gathered them selues together to Michmas: 12Therfore sayde I, The Philistines shal come downe nowe vpon me to Gilgal, and I haue not made supplication vnto the Lord: I was bolde therfore, & offred a burnt offring. 13And Samuel sayd to Saul: Thou art become a foole, thou hast not kept the commaundemet of the Lord thy God which he commauded thee: For at this time woulde the Lorde haue stablished thy kingdome vpon Israel for euer. 14But nowe, thy kingdome shal not continue: The Lorde hath sought him a man after his owne heart, and the Lord hath commaunded him to be captayne ouer his people, because thou hast not kept that whiche the Lorde commaunded thee.

15And Samuel arose, & gate him vp from Gilgal in Gibea of Beniamin, and Saul numbred the people that were found with him, and they were about a sixe hundred men.

Israel without Weapons

16And Saul and Ionathan his sonne, & the people that were found with them, had their abiding in Gibea of Beniamin: but ye Philistines pitched in Michmas. 17And there came out of the hoast of the Philistines three copanies to destroye: one companie turned vnto the way that leadeth to Ophra vnto ye lande of Sual: 18And another companie turned the way to Bethoron: And the thirde companie turned to the way of the coast that is seene aboue ye valley of Zeboim toward the wildernesse.

19There was no smith founde throughout all the lande of Israel: For the Philistines sayde, Lest the Hebrues make them swordes or speares. 20But all the Israelites went downe to the Philistines, to mende euery man his share, his mattocke, his axe, & weeding hooke. 21Yet they had a file for the shares, for the mattockes, for the pickforkes, and for the axes, and for to sharpen to goades. 22And so in time of battel there was neither sword nor speare found in the handes of any of the people that were with Saul and Ionathan: But with Saul & Ionathan his sonne was there found. 23And the garison of the Philistines came out, to go ouer vnto Michmas.