2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel; of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in Mount Bethel, and a thousand were with (his son) Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and he sent the rest of the people to their tents. 3And Jonathan attacked 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”. 4And all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that the Philistines now abhorred Israel. And the people came together to Saul in Gilgal. 5And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and as many men as the sand on the seashore; and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were hedged in, they hid in caves, thickets, rocks, high places, and in pits. 7And some of the Hebrews fled across the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8And he waited seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were drifting away from Saul. 9And Saul said, “Bring here to me a burnt offering, and peace offerings”. And he offered the burnt offering. 10And as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might bless him. 11And Samuel asked, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash, 12I said, ‘The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD’; so therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering”. 13And Samuel replied, “You have done foolishly: you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you; for the LORD would have established your kingdom upon Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought Him a man after His Own heart, and the LORD has appointed him to be ruler over His people, because you have not kept that which the LORD commanded you”. 15And Samuel arose, and left Gilgal and went to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him - about six hundred men. 16And Saul, Jonathan, his son, and the people who were present with them, remained in Gibeah; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17And spoilers (raiding parties) came out of the camp of the Philistines in three groups: one group turned to the road that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18And another group turned the road to Beth-horon; and another group turned to the road along the border overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19Now there were no blacksmiths throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Or else the Hebrews will make themselves swords or spears”: 20But the Israelites had gone to the Philistines, to sharpen each man’s plowshare, mattock, axe, and sickle. 21YBut they did have a file for the sickles, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, to sharpen the goads. 22So in the day of battle, there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; except with Saul and Jonathan, his son.

23And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

Then one day, Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, and let us go over on the other side, to the Philistines' garrison.” But he did not tell his father.