Chapter 14
1 Now it happened on a day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor , " Come ! Let ’s go over to the Philistines ’ garrison that is on the other side ." But he didn’t tell his father .
2 Saul stayed in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron ; and the people who were with him were about six hundred men ,
3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas , the son of Eli the priest of Yahweh in Shiloh , wearing an ephod. The people didn’t know that Jonathan was gone .
4 Between the passes , by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines ’ garrison , there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side ; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh .
5 The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash , and the other on the south in front of Geba .
6 Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor , " Come ! Let ’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised . It may be that Yahweh will work for us , for there is no restraint on Yahweh to save by many or by few ."
7 His armor bearer said to him , " Do all that is in your heart . Go, and behold , I am with you according to your heart ."
8 Then Jonathan said, " Behold , we will pass over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them .
9 If they say this to us , ‘ Wait until we come to you !’ then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them .
10 But if they say this , ‘ Come up to us !’ then we will go up , for Yahweh has delivered them into our hand . This shall be the sign to us ."
11 Both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines ; and the Philistines said , " Behold , the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they had hidden themselves !"
12 The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer , and said , " Come up to us , and we will show you something !" Jonathan said to his armor bearer , " Come up after me , for Yahweh has delivered them into the hand of Israel ."
13 Jonathan climbed up on his hands and on his feet , and his armor bearer after him , and they fell before Jonathan ; and his armor bearer killed them after him .
14 That first slaughter , which Jonathan and his armor bearer made , was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow ’s length in an acre of land .
15 There was a trembling in the camp , in the field , and among all the people ; the garrison and the raiders also trembled ; and the earth quaked , so there was an exceedingly great trembling .
16 The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked ; and behold , the multitude melted away and scattered.
17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him , " Count now , and see who is missing from us ." When they had counted , behold , Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there .
18 Saul said to Ahijah, " Bring God’s ark here ." For God’s ark was with the children of Israel at that time .
19 While Saul talked to the priest , the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased ; and Saul said to the priest , "Withdraw your hand !"
20 Saul and all the people who were with him were gathered together , and came to the battle ; and behold , they were all striking each other with their swords in very great confusion .
21 Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before and who went up with them into the camp from all around , even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan .
22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled , even they also followed hard after them in the battle .
23 So Yahweh saved Israel that day ; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.
24 The men of Israel were distressed that day ; for Saul had adjured the people , saying, "Cursed is the man who eats any food until it is evening , and I am avenged of my enemies." So none of the people tasted food .
25 All the people came into the forest ; and there was honey on the ground .
26 When the people had come to the forest , behold , honey was dripping, but no one put his hand to his mouth , for the people feared the oath .
27 But Jonathan didn’t hear when his father commanded the people with the oath . Therefore he put out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb , and put his hand to his mouth ; and his eyes brightened.
28 Then one of the people answered , and said , " Your father directly commanded the people with an oath , saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today .’" So the people were faint .
29 Then Jonathan said, " My father has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey .
30 How much more , if perhaps the people had eaten freely today of the plunder of their enemies which they found ? For now there has been no great slaughter among the Philistines ."
31 They struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint ;
32 and the people pounced on the plunder , and took sheep , cattle , and calves , and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood .
33 Then they told Saul , saying, " Behold , the people are sinning against Yahweh , in that they eat meat with the blood ." He said, " You have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today !"
34 Saul said, " Disperse yourselves among the people , and tell them , ‘ Every man bring me here his ox , and every man his sheep , and kill them here , and eat; and don’t sin against Yahweh in eating meat with the blood .’" All the people brought every man his ox with him that night , and killed them there .
35 Saul built an altar to Yahweh . This was the first altar that he built to Yahweh .
36 Saul said, " Let ’s go down after the Philistines by night , and take plunder among them until the morning light. Let ’s not leave a man of them ." They said, " Do whatever seems good to you ." Then the priest said, " Let ’s draw near here to God ."
37 Saul asked counsel of God : " Shall I go down after the Philistines ? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel ?" But he didn’t answer him that day .
38 Saul said, " Draw near here , all you chiefs of the people , and know and see in whom this sin has been today .
39 For as Yahweh lives , who saves Israel , though it is in Jonathan my son , he shall surely die ." But there was not a man among all the people who answered him .
40 Then he said to all Israel , " You be on one side , and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side ." The people said to Saul , " Do what seems good to you ."
41 Therefore Saul said to Yahweh , the God of Israel , "Show the right ." Jonathan and Saul were chosen, but the people escaped .
42 Saul said, " Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son ." Jonathan was selected.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan , " Tell me what you have done !" Jonathan told him , and said, " I certainly did taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand ; and behold , I must die ."
44 Saul said, "God do so and more also ; for you shall surely die , Jonathan ."
45 The people said to Saul , " Shall Jonathan die , who has worked this great salvation in Israel ? Far from it ! As Yahweh lives , there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today !" So the people rescued Jonathan , so he didn’t die .
46 Then Saul went up from following the Philistines ; and the Philistines went to their own place .
47 Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel , he fought against all his enemies on every side : against Moab , and against the children of Ammon , and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah , and against the Philistines . Wherever he turned himself , he defeated them .
48 He did valiantly and struck the Amalekites , and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them .
49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan , Ishvi , and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these : the name of the firstborn Merab , and the name of the younger Michal .
50 The name of Saul ’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner , Saul ’s uncle .
51 Kish was the father of Saul , and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52 There was severe war against the Philistines all the days of Saul ; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man , he took him into his service.