⁵ Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, ^[a]thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people ^(A)as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of ^(B)Beth Aven.

¹⁷ Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to ^(A)Ophrah, to the land of Shual, ¹⁸ another company turned to the road to ^(B)Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of ^(C)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ Now ^(D)there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” ²⁰ But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; ²¹ and the charge for a sharpening was a ^[a]pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. ²² So it came about, on the day of battle, that ^(E)there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

^23 (F)And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.