Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
He chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand stayed with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest he sent back to their homes.
Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and when the Philistines heard about it, Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!"
All Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines." The people were then summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, bringing three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
When the men of Israel saw their desperate situation, many hid in caves and thickets, among rocks, pits, and cisterns. Some even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.
He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not arrive, and Saul's men began to scatter.
So Saul said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And he offered the burnt offering.
Just as he finished, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to meet him.
"What have you done?" Samuel asked. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and you had not come at the appointed time, and the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. If you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
But now your kingdom will not endure. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command."
Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the men with him, numbering about six hundred.
Saul, his son Jonathan, and the men with them stayed in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Micmash.
Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments: one toward Ophrah near Shual, another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the desert.
Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!"
So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles sharpened. The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.
On the day of battle, not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
A detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.