¶ The Philistines are smytten of Saul and Io∣nathas. Saul beynge dysobedient to Goddes com∣maundement is shewed of Samuel that he shall not raygne.
CAPI. XIII.
[ A] IT was nowe an hole yere after that Saul had begon to raygne. And when he hadde rayned two yeres ouer Israel, he chose him thre thousande men out of Israel. Two thou∣sande were with Saul in Machmas & mount Bethell / and a thousande with Ionathas in Gabaah / BenIamin. And the rest of the peo∣ple he sente home, euerye man to his house. So Ionathas slew the Philistines in an hold that they had in Gabaah / and it came to the Philistines eares. And Saul caused the trom∣pet to be blowen thorowe oute all the lande, saying / let ye Ebrues heare. And all Israel herd saye how that Saul had destroyed an holde of the Philistines, and that Israel stanke afore ye Philistines. And all the people cryed after Saul to Galgal.
Then the Philistines gathered them sel∣ues togyther to fyghte with Israel, thyrtye thousande charettes, and sixe thousande horse men, with other people lyke the* 1.1 sand by the [ B] sees syde in multitude / and came vp and pit∣ched in Machmas eastwarde from Bethauen. And when the men of Israel saw them selues in a strayte / and that the people were discom∣forted, they hyd them selues in caues, in pre∣uye holes, in rockes, dennes, and pyttes. And the Ebrues went ouer Iordan vnto the lande of Gad and Galaad. But Saul was yet in Galgal / and all the people that folowed him were dismayed. And he taryed seuen dayes, as Samuel* 1.2 had appoynted. But Samuel came not to Galgal / and the people scattered from hym. Wherfore Saul sayd / brynge me burnte sacrifyce, and peax offerynges. And he offered burnt sacrifyce. And as soone as he had ended his burnt offerynges / beholde Samuel came. And Saul wente agaynste him to grete hym. Then sayde Samuel to Saul: what haste thou doone? And Saul sayde, bycause I sawe that the people scattered frome me / and that thou camest not within the dayes appoynted / [ C] and that the Philistines gathered theym sel∣ues togyther to Machmas: then sayd I, the Philistines shal come down vpon me to Gal∣gal er I haue made my prayer vnto the Lord. And therfore when they enforced me, I offe∣red burnte offerynges. Then sayde Samuel to Saul / thou haste doone folysshly, and hast not kepte the commaundement of the Lorde thy God, whiche he commaunded the / whiche thynge yf thou haddest not doone at this time wolde the Lorde haue stablysshed thy kyng∣dome vpon Israel for euer.* 1.3 But nowe thy kyngdome shall neuer florysshe agayne. The Lorde hath sought him a man after his owne hert, and hath commaunded him to be a capi∣tayne ouer his people / bycause thou haste not kepte that the Lorde commaunded the. And Samuel arose and gat him frome Galgal to Gabaah BenIamin. And Saul nombred the people that were founde with him, aboute a sixe hundred men. And Saul and Ionathas his sonne, and the people that were founde with them, hadde theyr abydynge in Gabaah BenIamin. But the Philistines had pytched [ D] in Machmas. And there came out of the hoste of the Philistines thre companyes, to destroy / one company turned vnto the waye that lea∣deth to Ephrah vnto the lande of Saul / an¦other company turned the way to Bethoron / and the thyrde companye turned to the waye of the coste that turneth to the valeye of Ze∣boim towarde the wildernesse. But there was no smyth thorowe out all the lande of Israel. For the Philistines were ware that ye Ebrues sholde not make them selues neither swerdes nor speres. And therfore muste all Israel goe downe to the Philistines to mende euerye man his share, his mattocke, his axe, or his sickle / as ofte as the edges of the sickles, mat∣tockes, dongforkes, and axes were blunt, and muste be had vnto the stechye to be amended. And so in tyme of battayle, there was ney∣ther swerde nor spere founde in the handes of anye of the people that were with Saul and Ionathas: saue for Saul and Ionathas his sonne was there somwhat found. And the ar∣mye of the Philistines came out and stode on the other side before Machmas.