1 Samuel · Bible in Basic English
1 Samuel 13 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
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1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
2 And Saul took for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom he kept two thousand with him in Michmash and in the mountain of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin: the rest of the people he sent back to their tents.
2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the Mount of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the people to their own tents.
3 And Jonathan made an attack on the armed force of the Philistines stationed at Gibeah; and news was given to the Philistines that the Hebrews were turned against them. And Saul had a horn sounded through all the land,
3 Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
4 And all Israel had the news that Saul had made an attack on the Philistines, and that Israel was bitterly hated by the Philistines. And the people came together after Saul to Gilgal.
4 All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was considered an abomination to the Philistines. The people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.
5 And the Philistines came together to make war on Israel, three thousand war-carriages and six thousand horsemen and an army of people like the sands of the sea in number: they came up and took up their position in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
5 The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel: thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.
6 When the men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people were troubled,) they took cover in cracks in the hillsides and in the woods and in rocks and holes and hollows.
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in tombs, and in pits.
7 And a great number of the people had gone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people went after him shaking in fear.
7 Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 And he went on waiting there for seven days, the time fixed by Samuel: but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were starting to go away from him.
8 He stayed seven days, according to the time set by Samuel; but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
9 Then Saul said, Come here and give me the burned offering and the peace-offerings. And he made a burned offering to the Lord.
9 Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering to me here, and the peace offerings.” He offered the burnt offering.
10 And when the burned offering was ended, Samuel came; and Saul went out to see him and to give him a blessing.
10 It came to pass that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.
11 And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were going away from me, and you had not come at the time which had been fixed, and the Philistines had come together at Michmash;
11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn’t come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash,
12 I said, Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal, and I have made no prayer for help to the Lord: and so, forcing myself to do it, I made a burned offering.
12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven’t entreated the favor of Yahweh.’ I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, You have done a foolish thing: you have not kept the rules which the Lord your God gave you; it was the purpose of the Lord to make your authority over Israel safe for ever.
13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you; for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom on Israel forever.
14 But now, your authority will not go on: the Lord, searching for a man who is pleasing to him in every way, has given him the place of ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord gave you orders to do.
14 But now your kingdom will not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel went up from Gilgal and the rest of the people went up after Saul against the men of war, and they came from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin: and Saul took the number of the people who were with him, about six hundred men.
15 Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
16 And Saul, with Jonathan his son and the people who were with them, was waiting in Geba in the land of Benjamin: but the tents of the Philistines were in Michmash.
16 Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17 And three bands of men came out from the Philistines to make an attack; one band went by the road which goes to Ophrah, into the land of Shual:
17 The raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual;
18 And another went in the direction of Beth-horon: and another went by the hill looking down on the valley of Zeboiim, in the direction of the waste land.
18 another company turned the way to Beth Horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no iron-worker in all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, For fear the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears:
19 Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”;
20 But all the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their ploughs and blades and axes and hooks made sharp;
20 but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle.
21 For they had instruments for putting an edge on their ploughs and blades and forks and axes, and for putting iron points on their ox-driving rods.
21 The price was one payim each to sharpen mattocks, plowshares, pitchforks, axes, and goads.
22 So on the day of the fight at Michmash, not a sword or a spear was to be seen in the hands of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan: only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
22 So it came to pass in the day of battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.
23 And the armed force of the Philistines went out to the narrow way of Michmash.
23 The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
Cross references (21)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Exodus 12:5; Micah 6:6
- 2 1 Samuel 10:26; 1 Samuel 13:5; 1 Samuel 14:31; 1 Samuel 13:23; Isaiah 10:28–29
- 3 1 Samuel 10:5; Judges 3:27; Judges 6:34; Zechariah 14:10; 2 Samuel 20:1
- 4 Genesis 34:30; Exodus 5:21; 1 Samuel 11:14–15; 1 Samuel 10:8; Zechariah 11:8
- 5 1 Samuel 14:23; Joshua 11:4; Joshua 18:12; Hosea 5:8; Joshua 7:2
- 6 Judges 6:2; Hebrews 11:38; 1 Samuel 23:19; 1 Samuel 24:3; Judges 10:9
- 7 Joshua 13:24–31; Numbers 32:1–5; Deuteronomy 20:8; Deuteronomy 3:12; Leviticus 26:36–37
- 8 1 Samuel 10:8
- 9 1 Kings 3:4; Proverbs 21:27; Proverbs 21:3; Proverbs 15:8; 1 Samuel 15:21–22
- 10 1 Samuel 15:13; Psalm 129:8; Ruth 2:4
- 11 1 Samuel 13:16; 1 Samuel 13:23; 1 Samuel 13:2; 1 Samuel 13:5; 2 Kings 5:25
- 12 Psalm 66:3; 1 Kings 12:26–27; Amos 8:5; 2 Corinthians 9:7; 1 Samuel 21:7
- 13 1 Samuel 15:22; 2 Chronicles 16:9; 1 Samuel 15:28; 1 Samuel 15:11; Psalm 50:8–15
- 14 Acts 13:22; 1 Samuel 15:28; Psalm 78:70; Psalm 89:19–37; 1 Samuel 16:1
- 15 1 Samuel 14:2; 1 Samuel 13:2; 1 Samuel 13:6–7
- 16 1 Samuel 13:3
- 17 Joshua 18:23; 1 Samuel 14:15; Joshua 19:3; 1 Samuel 11:11
- 18 Nehemiah 11:34; Joshua 18:13–14; Joshua 16:3; 2 Chronicles 8:5; Hosea 11:8
- 19 2 Kings 24:14; Judges 5:8; Jeremiah 24:1; Isaiah 54:16
- 22 Judges 5:8; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Samuel 17:50; 1 Corinthians 1:27–29; Zechariah 4:6
- 23 Isaiah 10:28; 1 Samuel 14:4–5; 1 Samuel 14:1; 1 Samuel 13:5; 1 Samuel 13:2–3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… ever, yet now thy kingdom shall not continue for thee; and the Lord will seek Him a man after His own heart, and the Lord will command him to be prince over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee," is not to be taken as if God had settled that Saul himself should reign …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)