Saul’s Failure

13 Saul was 30 years[a] old when he became king, and he reigned 42 years[b] over Israel.[c] He chose 3,000 men from Israel for himself: 2,000 were with Saul at Michmash(A) and in Bethel’s hill country, and 1,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah(B) of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the troops away, each to his own tent.

Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison[d](C) that was in Geba,(D) and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land(E) saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”[e](F)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:1 Some LXX mss; MT reads was one year
  2. 1 Samuel 13:1 Text emended; MT reads two years
  3. 1 Samuel 13:1 Some LXX mss omit v. 1
  4. 1 Samuel 13:3 Or governor
  5. 1 Samuel 13:3 LXX reads The slaves have revolted

Samuel Rebukes Saul

13 Saul was thirty[a] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-[b] two years.

Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand(A) were with him at Mikmash(B) and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah(C) in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost(D) at Geba,(E) and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet(F) blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:1 A few late manuscripts of the Septuagint; Hebrew does not have thirty.
  2. 1 Samuel 13:1 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Acts 13:21); Masoretic Text does not have forty-.