VERSE STUDY • KJV

1 Samuel 13:19-22

¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make [them] swords or spears: ²⁰ But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. ²¹ Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. ²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that [were] with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

Read it in 5 translations

KJV King James Version

¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make [them] swords or spears: ²⁰ But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. ²¹ Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. ²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that [were] with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

BSB Berean Standard Bible

¹⁹ And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.” ²⁰ Instead, all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles. ²¹ The charge was a pim for sharpening a plowshare or mattock, a third of a shekel for sharpening a pitchfork or an axe, and a third of a shekel for repointing an oxgoad. ²² So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.

WEB World English Bible

¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears;” ²⁰ but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, axe, and sickle; ²¹ yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the plowshares, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads. ²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

ASV American Standard Version

¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: ²⁰ but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock; ²¹ yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads. ²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

YLT Young’s Literal Translation

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.

Surrounding context — 1 Samuel 13

16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people [that were] present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way [that leadeth to] Ophrah, unto the land of Shual:

18 And another company turned the way [to] Bethhoron: and another company turned [to] the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make [them] swords or spears:

20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.

21 Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.

22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that [were] with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.

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