Scriptures

New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Samuel 13
¹⁴ But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”
¹⁵ Samuel then left Gilgal and went on his way, but the rest of the troops went with Saul to meet the army. They went up from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. When Saul counted the men who were still with him, he found only 600 were left!
¹⁶ Saul and Jonathan and the troops with them were staying at Geba in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines set up their camp at Micmash.
¹⁷ Three raiding parties soon left the camp of the Philistines. One went north toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,
¹⁸ another went west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the wilderness.
¹⁹ There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn’t allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews.
²⁰ So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith.
²¹ (The charges were as follows: a quarter of an ounce of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce for sharpening an ax, a sickle, or an ox goad.)
²² So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan.
²³ The pass at Micmash had meanwhile been secured by a contingent of the Philistine army.
1 Samuel 14
¹ One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to where the Philistines have their outpost.” But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing.