New Century Version NCV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he was king over Israel forty-two years.
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Sha'ul was - years old when he began his reign, and he had ruled Isra'el for two years,
2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand men stayed with him at Micmash in the mountains of Bethel, and one thousand men stayed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul sent the other men in the army back home.
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when he chose three thousand of Isra'el's men. Two thousand of them were with Sha'ul in Mikhmas and in the hills of Beit-El, and a thousand were with Y'honatan in Giv'at-Binyamin. The rest of the people he sent back to their respective tents.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine camp in Geba, and the other Philistines heard about it. Saul said, "Let the Hebrews hear what happened." So he told the men to blow trumpets through all the land of Israel.
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Y'honatan assassinated the governor of the P'lishtim in Geva. The P'lishtim heard of it; so Sha'ul had the shofar sounded throughout the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!"
4 All the Israelites heard the news. The men said, "Saul has defeated the Philistine camp. Now the Philistines will really hate us!" Then the Israelites were called to join Saul at Gilgal.
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All Isra'el heard that Sha'ul had assassinated the governor of the P'lishtim and thus made Isra'el a stench in the nostrils of the P'lishtim. So the people rallied behind Sha'ul in Gilgal;
5 The Philistines gathered to fight Israel with three thousandn chariots and six thousand men to ride in them. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. The Philistines went and camped at Micmash, which is east of Beth Aven.
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while the P'lishtim assembled themselves together to make war on Isra'el - 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and an army as large as the number of sand grains on the seashore. They came up and pitched camp at Mikhmas, east of Beit-Aven.
6 When the Israelites saw that they were in trouble, they went to hide in caves and bushes, among the rocks, and in pits and wells.
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The men of Isra'el saw that their options were limited and that the people felt so hard pressed that they were hiding themselves in caves, thickets, crevices, watchtowers and cisterns;
7 Some Hebrews even went across the Jordan River to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men in his army were shaking with fear.
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while some of the Hebrews crossed the Yarden to the territory of Gad and Gil'ad. But Sha'ul was still in Gilgal, where all the people were eager to follow him.
8 Saul waited seven days, because Samuel had said he would meet him then. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the soldiers began to leave.
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He waited seven days, as Sh'mu'el had instructed; but Sh'mu'el didn't come to Gilgal; so the army began to drift away from him.
9 So Saul said, "Bring me the whole burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." Then Saul offered the whole burnt offering.
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Sha'ul said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings," and he offered the burnt offering.
10 Just as he finished, Samuel arrived, and Saul went to greet him.
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As soon as he had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there was Sh'mu'el -he had come, and Sha'ul went out to meet and greet him.
11 Samuel asked, "What have you done?" Saul answered, "I saw the soldiers leaving me, and you were not here when you said you would be. The Philistines were gathering at Micmash.
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Sh'mu'el said, "What have you done?" Sha'ul answered, "I saw that the army was drifting away from me, that you hadn't come during the time appointed The Hebrew text lacks the number. and that the P'lishtim had assembled at Mikhmas.
12 Then I thought, 'The Philistines will come against me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked for the Lord's approval.' So I forced myself to offer the whole burnt offering."
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I said, 'Now the P'lishtim will fall on me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked the favor of ADONAI,' so I forced myself and offered the burnt offering."
13 Samuel said, "You acted foolishly! You haven't obeyed the command of the Lord your God. If you had obeyed him, the Lord would have made your kingdom continue in Israel always,
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Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "You did a foolish thing. You didn't observe the mitzvah of ADONAI, which he gave you. If you had, ADONAI would have set up your kingship over Isra'el forever.
14 but now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has looked for the kind of man he wants. He has appointed him to rule his people, because you haven't obeyed his command."
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But as it is, your kingship will not be established. ADONAI has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and ADONAI has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you did not observe what ADONAI ordered you to do."
15 Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were still with him, and there were about six hundred.
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Then Sh'mu'el left Gilgal and went up to Giv'at-Binyamin. Sha'ul counted how many were still there with him, about 600 men.
16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the soldiers with him stayed in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines made their camp at Micmash.
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Sha'ul, Y'honatan his son and the men with him took up quarters at Giv'at-Binyamin, while the P'lishtim remained in camp at Mikhmas.
17 Three groups went out from the Philistine camp to make raids. One group went on the Ophrah road in the land of Shual.
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Then raiding parties began coming out from the camp of the P'lishtim, three of them: one group turned toward the road leading to 'Ofrah in the territory of Shu'al;
18 The second group went on the Beth Horon road. The third group went on the border road that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the desert.
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another group took the road toward Beit-Horon; and another company took the road toward the desert through the territory overlooking Vadi Tzvo'im.
19 The whole land of Israel had no blacksmith because the Philistines had said, "The Hebrews might make swords and spears."
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Now there was no metalsmith to be found anywhere in all the land of Isra'el, because the P'lishtim had said, "We don't want the Hebrews making themselves swords or spears."
20 So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to have their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened.
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So whenever any of the people of Isra'el wanted to sharpen his hoe, plowshare, axe or pick, he had to go down to the P'lishtim,
21 The Philistine blacksmiths charged about one-fourth of an ounce of silver for sharpening plows and hoes. And they charged one-eighth of an ounce of silver for sharpening picks, axes, and the sticks used to guide oxen.
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where the exorbitant prices were two-thirds of a shekel for filing a pick or plowshare and one-third of a shekel for filing an axe or setting an oxgoad in its handle.
22 So when the battle came, the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had no swords or spears. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
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Thus when the time came to fight, no one in the army of Sha'ul and Y'honatan was equipped with either sword or spear; although Sha'ul and Y'honatan his son did have them.
23 A group from the Philistine army had gone out to the pass at Micmash.
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A garrison of the P'lishtim had gone out to the pass of Mikhmas.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.