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The Battle of Michmash was fought in 1093 BC between the armies of the Israelites and the Philistines.

Two years into the reign of King Saul of Israel, the king divided his 3,000-man army between himself in Michmash and Bethel and his son Jonathan at Gibeah in the Tribe of Benjamin. Jonathan and his 1,000 troops defeated the Philistine garrison of Geba, and, on hearing that the Israelites had defeated the Philistines and become odious to them, the people of Israel were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. The Philistines mustered 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and a multitude of soldiers for the war with Israel, and they encamped at Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. The Israelite soldiers were hard-pressed to stop these invaders, and many Israelites hid in caves, holes, rocks, tombs, and cisterns; others crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal for seven days, where he grew impatient with the failure of Samuel to arrive on time. Saul offered a burnt offering too soon, and, on Samuel's arrival, Samuel rebuked Saul for not keeping the commandment of God to wait for his arrival, and warned him that his kingdom would not continue. Saul and his army went from Gilgal toward Gibeah, with 600 men accompanying him. Raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies, heading for Ophrah, Beth-horon, and the mountain above the valley of Zeboim. The Israelites were mostly unarmed due to their lack of blacksmiths; they had previously gone down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles.

A garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash, so Saul's son Jonathan decided to go over to the Philistine garrison without alerting his father. Jonathan and his force stealthily trekked through the rocky crags of Bozez and Seneh, and they revealed themselves to the Philistine soldiers, who taunted them. Jonathan challenged the Philistines to come up to the Israelites for battle, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan and his armor-bearer; the two Israelites killed about 20 men, sowing panic in the Philistine camp; an earthquake did much to destroy the Philistines' morale. The garrison and even the Philistine raiders trembled, and Saul decided to have the ark brought to his army before sending his army into the fray. The Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them into the camp turned and joined Saul and Jonathan's Israelites, and the Israelites hiding in the hill country of Ephraim joined their allies in slaughtering the Philistines. The battle passed beyond Beth-aven, with the Israelites coming to number 10,000 troops. Saul eventually gave up the pursuit after his son nearly died due to his father's rash oath to curse anyone who ate food before that evening.

The victory at Michmash enabled Saul to fight against his enemies on every side, including the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zobahites, and Philistines, routing them wherever he turned. He also struck down the Amalekites, rescuing Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them. There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and, whenever Saul saw a strong or valiant warrior, he took him into his service.

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