Saul  ¹was…years old when he began to reign; and he reigned over Israel two years.

And Saul chose three thousand men from Israel for himself; and two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear!

And when all Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines, the people gathered themselves behind Saul at Gilgal.

And the Philistines assembled themselves for battle with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and people like the sand that is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in distress (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in thickets and among rocks and in cellars and in pits.

And some Hebrews crossed over the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead; but Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people trembled behind him.

And he waited for seven days, until the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And the people scattered from him.

Then Saul said, Bring the burnt offering and the peace offerings to me. And he  ¹offered up the burnt offering.

And just as he finished offering up the burnt offering, there came Samuel; and Saul went out to meet him and greet him.

And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, When I saw that the people were scattered from me and that you had not come at the appointed time and that the Philistines assembled themselves at Michmash,

I said, Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of Jehovah. Therefore I forced myself to offer up the burnt offering.

Then Samuel said to Saul, You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of Jehovah your God, which He commanded you. For now Jehovah would have established your kingdom over Israel forever;

But now your kingdom will not continue. Jehovah has sought a  ¹man according to His heart for Himself, and Jehovah has appointed  ¹him ruler over His people; for you have not kept that which Jehovah commanded you.

Then Samuel rose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul mustered the people who were with him, about six hundred men.

And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were with them dwelt in Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

And the raiders came out from the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual;

And another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that overlooks the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears;

Therefore all Israel would go down to the Philistines so that each might sharpen his plowshare or his mattock or his ax or his hoe.

 ¹And the price was two-thirds of a shekel for plowshares and for mattocks and for three-pronged forks and for axes and for setting the goads.

So on the day of the battle there was  ¹not a sword or spear to be found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and with Jonathan, but such were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

Now one day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, Come and let us cross over to the garrison of the Philistines that is on the other side; but he did not tell his father.

And Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron; and the people with him were about six hundred men,

Including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Jehovah in Shiloh, wearing an ephod; and the people did not know that Jonathan went.

And in the pass by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the garrison of the Philistines, there was a rocky crag on one side, and another rocky crag on the other side; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other was Seneh.

The one crag rose up on the north before Michmash; and the other, on the south before Geba.

And Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. Perhaps Jehovah will act on our behalf, for there is no constraint on Jehovah to save by many or by few.

And his armor bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart. Go to it; I am here with you according to your heart.

And Jonathan said, Now we will cross over to the men and disclose ourselves to them.

If they say this to us, Wait until we come to you; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.

But if they say this, Come up to us; then we will go up, for Jehovah will have delivered them into our hand, and this will be the sign of it to us.

And both of them disclosed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, The Hebrews are now coming out of the holes that they hid themselves in.

And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, Come up to us, and we will show you something. Then Jonathan said to his armor bearer, Come up after me, for Jehovah has delivered them into the hand of Israel.

And Jonathan went up on his hands and feet with his armor bearer behind him; and  ¹the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer went behind him killing them.

And that first slaughter that Jonathan and his armor bearer made was of about twenty men in half a furrow of an acre of land.

And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; even the garrison and the raiders were in a panic; and the earth quaked. And there came to be a  ¹very great panic.

And Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and the multitude was just then melting away, and they were going here and there.

Then Saul said to the people who were with him, Call a muster, and see who has gone from us. And they called a muster, and Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring the Ark of God here; for the Ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.

And while Saul spoke to the priest, the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase. Then Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand.

And Saul and all the people who were with him gathered together and went into the battle. And each man's sword was against his companion; the tumult was very great.

And the Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and who had gone up with them into the camp all around, they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they followed them closely in the battle.

Thus Jehovah saved Israel that day, and the battle crossed over beyond Beth-aven.

And the men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food before the evening, when I am avenged of my enemies. So none of the people even tasted food.

And all those from the land came upon a honeycomb, and there was honey on the surface of the ground.

And when the people came to the honeycomb, there was honey flowing; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people were afraid of the oath.

But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; and he put forth the end of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and he put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.

Then someone from among the people responded and said, Your father sternly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food today; and so the people are faint.

Then Jonathan said, My father has troubled the land. Look how my eyes lit up because I tasted a bit of this honey.

How much more if today the people had eaten up the spoil from their enemies, which they found, for now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.

Now they had struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very faint.

And the people flew upon the spoil; and they took sheep and oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.

And it was reported to Saul, saying, The people are now sinning against Jehovah by eating the spoil with the  ¹blood. And he said, You have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today.

And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, Let each man bring his ox here to me, and each his sheep; and slay them here and eat; and do not sin against Jehovah by eating these things with the blood. And all the people brought their oxen with them there that night and slew them there.

And Saul built an altar to Jehovah; it was the first altar that he built to Jehovah.

And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man among them. And they said, Do all that is good in your sight. But the priest said, Let us draw near to God here.

And Saul inquired of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel? But He did not answer him that day.

Then Saul said, Come here, all you chiefs of the people; and find out how this sin has happened today.

For as Jehovah lives, who saves Israel, even if it is with Jonathan my son, he shall surely be put to death. But there was no one among all the people who answered him.

And he said to all Israel, You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son shall be on the other side. And the people said to Saul, Do what is good in your sight.

Then Saul said to Jehovah the God of Israel, Show perfectly. And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, but the people escaped.

And Saul said, Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan told him and said, I did indeed taste a bit of honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I must die.

And Saul said, God do so  ¹to me and more so, for you shall surely die, Jonathan.

Then the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has executed this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As Jehovah lives, not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground; for he has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan so that he did not die.

Then Saul went up from following the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies all around, against Moab and against the children of Ammon and against Edom and against the kings of Zobah and against the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he did them harm.

And he performed valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel from the hand of those who had plundered them.

Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: The name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger was Michal.

And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle.

And Kish was Saul's father; and Ner, the father of Abner, was the son of Abiel.

And there was severe war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.

And Samuel said to Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of the words of Jehovah.

Thus says Jehovah of hosts, I will punish the  ¹Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they set themselves against them in the way as they came up out of Egypt.

Go now and strike the Amalekites; and  ¹utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, oxen and sheep, camel and donkey.

And Saul summoned the people and mustered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah.

And Saul came to the city of the Amalekites and set an ambush in the river valley.

And Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites; otherwise, I will destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. And the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

Then Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah as you go toward Shur, which is opposite Egypt.

And he captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

But Saul and the people  ¹spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings, and the lambs and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but everything that was despised and worthless, this they utterly destroyed.

And the word of Jehovah came to Samuel, saying,

I repent that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not fulfilled My words. And Samuel was angry, and he cried to Jehovah all night long.

Then Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, saying, Saul went to Carmel and has now set up a  ¹monument for himself, and he has returned and passed on down to Gilgal.

And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of Jehovah! I have fulfilled the word of Jehovah.

And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears and the lowing of oxen that I hear?

And Saul said, They have been brought from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to  ¹sacrifice to Jehovah your God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop, and I will tell you what Jehovah spoke to me last night. And he said to him, Speak.

And Samuel said, Though you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah has anointed you king over Israel.

And Jehovah sent you on a journey and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.

Why then did you not obey the voice of Jehovah, but flew upon the spoil and did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah?

And Saul said to Samuel, I surely did obey the voice of Jehovah, and I went on the journey that Jehovah sent me on. And I have brought Agag the king of the Amalekites and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

But of the spoil the people took sheep and oxen, the chief of those things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Jehovah your God in Gilgal.

And Samuel said,
Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As much as in obeying the voice of Jehovah?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed, than the fat of rams.

For  ¹rebellion is like the sin of divination,
And insubordination is like idolatry and teraphim.
Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah,
He has also  ²rejected you from being king.

And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Jehovah and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

Now therefore pardon my sin, I beg you, and return with me so that I may worship Jehovah.

But Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah has rejected you from being king over Israel.

And when Samuel turned around to go,  ¹Saul seized the corner of his cloak, and it tore.

And Samuel said to him, Jehovah has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today and has given it to an  ¹associate of yours, who is better than you.

Moreover the Eminence of Israel does not lie nor repent, for He is not a man that He should repent.

Then  ¹Saul said, I have sinned. Honor me now, I beg you, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me so that I may worship Jehovah your God.

So Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul worshipped Jehovah.

Then Samuel said, Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites near to me. And Agag came to him cheerfully, for Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death has turned.

And Samuel said, Just as your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.

And Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

And Samuel never again saw Saul unto the day of his death, though Samuel mourned for Saul. And Jehovah repented that He had made Saul king over Israel.