1 Samuel 13:16-22 - Hard Times For Israel

¹⁶ And Saul, with Jonathan his son and the people who were with them, was waiting in Geba in the land of Benjamin: but the tents of the Philistines were in Michmash. ¹⁷ And three bands of men came out from the Philistines to make an attack; one band went by the road which goes to Ophrah, into the land of Shual: ¹⁸ And another went in the direction of Beth-horon: and another went by the hill looking down on the valley of Zeboiim, in the direction of the waste land.

¹⁹ Now there was no iron-worker in all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, For fear the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears: ²⁰ But all the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their ploughs and blades and axes and hooks made sharp; ²¹ For they had instruments for putting an edge on their ploughs and blades and forks and axes, and for putting iron points on their ox-driving rods. ²² So on the day of the fight at Michmash, not a sword or a spear was to be seen in the hands of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan: only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.