Bible in Basic English
"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."
— 1 Samuel 13:21, Bible in Basic English
“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.”
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.
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:
But all the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their ploughs and blades and axes and hooks made sharp;
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.
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.
And the armed force of the Philistines went out to the narrow way of Michmash.