Talut1 was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
2Talut chose three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Talut in Michmash and in the Mount of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Binyamin: and he sent the rest of the people back to their homes. 3Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba: and the Philistines heard of it. Talut blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. 4All Israel heard that Talut had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. The people were gathered together after Talut to Gilgal. 5The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, east of Beth Aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits. 7Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Talut, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8He stayed seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from Talut. 9Talut said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace-offerings.” He offered the burnt offering.
10It came to pass that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel came; and Talut went out to meet him, that he might greet him. 11Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Talut said, “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; 12therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven’t entreated the favour of YAHWEH2.’ I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering.”
13Samuel said to Talut, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of YAHWEH your God, which he commanded you: for YAHWEH would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom shall not continue: YAHWEH has sought a man after his own heart, and has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which YAHWEH commanded you.”
15Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Binyamin. Talut numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16Talut, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Binyamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17The 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; 18and 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. 19Now there was not one blacksmith found in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20All the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles; 21yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the plowshares, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads. 22So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Talut and Jonathan: but only with Talut and with Jonathan his son.
23The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
- 13:1 Talut, the Quranic Arabic version of the name of the first king of Israel. The Hebrew text reads Saul or Shaul. ↩︎
- 13:12 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎