15. Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the army followed Saul into battle. Saul counted the men still with him, and there were about 600.
16. Saul and his son Jonathan stayed in Geba in the land of Benjamin. The soldiers with them also stayed there. The Philistines made their camp at Micmash.
17. Three groups went out from their camp to attack. One group went on the Ophrah road in the land of Shual.
18. The second group went on the Beth Horon road. And the third group went on the border road. It overlooked the Valley of Zeboim toward the desert.
19. The whole land of Israel had no blacksmith. This is because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews might make swords and spears.”
20. So all the Israelites went down to the Philistines. They went to have their plows, hoes, axes and sickles sharpened.
21. The Philistine blacksmiths charged about one-fourth of an ounce of silver for sharpening plows and hoes. And they charged one-eighth of an ounce of silver for sharpening picks, axes and the sticks used to guide oxen.
22. So when the battle came, the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had no swords or spears. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23. A group from the Philistine army had gone out to the mountain pass at Micmash.