1 Samuel 13:15-23 - Israel's Military Disadvantage

¹⁵ And Samuel riseth, and goeth up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin; and Saul inspecteth the people who are found with him, about six hundred men,

¹⁶ and Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who are found with them, are abiding in Gibeah of Benjamin, and the Philistines have encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ And the destroyer goeth out from the camp of the Philistines -- three detachments; the one detachment turneth unto the way of Ophrah, unto the land of Shual; ¹⁸ and the one detachment turneth the way of Beth-Horon, and the one detachment turneth the way of the border which is looking on the valley of the Zeboim, toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ And an artificer is not found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, 'Lest the Hebrews make sword or spear;' ²⁰ and all Israel go down to the Philistines, to sharpen each his ploughshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock; ²¹ and there hath been the file for mattocks, and for coulters, and for three-pronged rakes, and for the axes, and to set up the goads. ²² And it hath been, in the day of battle, that there hath not been found sword and spear in the hand of any of the people who are with Saul and with Jonathan -- and there is found to Saul and to Jonathan his son. ²³ And the station of the Philistines goeth out unto the passage of Michmash.