Sha'ul was one year old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Yisra'el.

Sha'ul chose for himself three thousand men from Yisra'el, and the two thousand were with Sha'ul in Mikmash and in the hill country of Beit-El, and the thousand were with Yonatan in Giv'at Binyamin. And the rest of the people he sent, each man to his tent.

And Yonatan struck the outpost of the Pelishtim which was in Giv', and the Pelishtim heard. And Sha'ul blew the shofar throughout all the land, saying, 'Let the Ivrim hear.'

And all Yisra'el heard, saying, 'Sha'ul struck the outpost of the Pelishtim, and also Yisra'el has become repulsive to the Pelishtim.' And the people cried out after Sha'ul in Gilgal.

And the Pelishtim gathered to fight with Yisra'el, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore, in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Mikmash, east of Beit-Aven.

And the men of Yisra'el saw that they were in distress, for the people were hard-pressed. And the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in strongholds, and in cisterns.

And some Ivrim crossed the Yarden to the land of Gad and Gil'ad. And Sha'ul was still in Gilgal, and all the people trembled after him.

And he waited seven days for the appointed time, which Shemu'el had set, but Shemu'el did not come to Gilgal, and the people began to scatter from him.

And Sha'ul said, 'Bring the burnt offering and the peace offerings here to me.' And he offered the burnt offering.

And it happened, as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Shemu'el came. And Sha'ul went out to meet him, to bless him.

And Shemu'el said, 'What have you done?' And Sha'ul said, 'Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and you did not come at the appointed time of the days, and the Pelishtim were gathering at Mikmash.'

And I said, 'Now the Pelishtim will come down against me to Gilgal, and I have not appeased יהוה.' And I compelled myself and offered the burnt offering.

And Shemu'el said to Sha'ul, 'You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of יהוה your Elohim, which He commanded you. For now יהוה would have established your kingdom over Yisra'el forever.

But now your kingdom will not endure. יהוה has sought for Himself a man according to His heart, and יהוה has commanded him to be a ruler over His people, because you have not kept what יהוה commanded you.'

And Shemu'el arose and went up from Gilgal to Giv'at Binyamin. And Sha'ul counted the people who were found with him, about six hundred men.

And Sha'ul and Yonatan his son, and the people who were found with them, were sitting in Giv'a of Binyamin, and the Pelishtim were encamped in Mikmash.

And the raiding party went out from the camp of the Pelishtim, three divisions. The one division turned toward the road to 'Ofrah, to the land of Shua'l.

And the one division turned toward the road to Beit-Ḥoron, and the one division turned toward the road to the border overlooking the valley of the hyenas, toward the wilderness.

And no smith was found in all the land of Yisra'el, for the Pelishtim said, 'Lest the Ivrim make swords or spears.'

And all Yisra'el went down to the Pelishtim to sharpen each man his plowshare, and his mattock, and his axe, and his hoe.

And the sharpening price was a pim for plowshares, and for mattocks, and for three-pronged forks, and for axes, and for setting goads.

And it came to pass on the day of battle that no sword and spear were found in the hand of all the people who were with Sha'ul and with Yonatan his son, and it was found with Sha'ul and with Yonatan his son.

And the garrison of the Pelishtim went out to the pass of Mikmash.