12. I thought to myself, ‘The Philistines will come here and attack me at Gilgal, and I haven’t asked the Lord to help us yet.’ So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”
13. Samuel said, “You did a foolish thing. You did not obey the Lord your God. If you had done what he commanded, the Lord would have let your family rule Israel forever.
14. But now your kingdom won’t continue. The Lord was looking for a man who wants to obey him. He has found that man—and the Lord has chosen him to be the new leader of his people, because you didn’t obey his command.”
15. Then Samuel got up and left Gilgal. Saul and the rest of his army left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were still with him. There were about 600.
16. Saul, his son Jonathan, and the soldiers went to Geba in Benjamin. The Philistines were camped at Micmash.
17. So their best soldiers began the attack. The Philistine army split into three groups. One group went north on the road to Ophrah, near Shual.
18. The second group went southeast on the road to Beth Horon, and the third group went east on the road to the border. That road looks over the Valley of Zeboim toward the desert.
19. There were no blacksmiths in Israel. The Philistines would not allow them because they were afraid the Israelites would make iron swords and spears.
20. Only the Philistines could sharpen iron tools. So if the Israelites needed to sharpen their plows, hoes, axes, or sickles, they had to go to the Philistines.
21. The Philistine blacksmiths charged 1/3 ounce of silver for sharpening plows and hoes and 1/6 ounce of silver for sharpening picks, axes, and the iron tip on ox goads.
22. So on the day of battle, none of the Israelite soldiers with Saul had iron swords or spears. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had such weapons.
23. A group of Philistine soldiers guarded the mountain pass at Micmash.