1 Samuel 14

1 The day came when Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man who carried his weapons, “Come, let us cross over to the garrison of the Philistines on the other side over there.” But he did not tell his father. [a] 2 Saul was sitting on the top of the hill under the pomegranate tree that is in Magdon, and about six hundred men were with him. [b] 3 And Ahijah son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod son of Phinehas son of Eli, was the priest of God in Shiloh, wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. [c]

4 In the middle of the pass where Jonathan was looking to cross over to the garrison of the Philistines there was a sharp crag of rock on one side and a sharp crag of rock on the other. The name of the one was Bases, and the name of the other Senna. [e] 5 The one way ran north, toward a man coming to Michmash, and the other way ran south, toward a man coming to Gibeah.

6 And Jonathan said to the young man who carried his weapons, “Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will do something for us. Nothing holds the Lord back from saving by many or by few.” 7 And the man who carried his weapons said to him, “Do everything your heart turns to. Here I am, with you; as your heart is, so is my heart.” 8 And Jonathan said, “Look, we are crossing over to the men, and we will come down on them. 9 If they say this to us, ‘Stand still there until we send you word,’ then we will stand where we are and not go up against them. 10 But if they say this to us, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, because the Lord has given them into our hands. That is the sign for us.”

11 So the two of them went in to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they hid themselves.” 12 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and the man who carried his weapons, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.” And Jonathan said to the man who carried his weapons, “Come up behind me, because the Lord has given them into the hands of Israel.” 13 And Jonathan went up on his hands and his feet, and the man who carried his weapons after him. They turned to face Jonathan, and he struck them down, and the man who carried his weapons kept striking behind him. 14 The first blow that Jonathan and the man who carried his weapons struck was about twenty men, with javelins and slings and stones out of the field.

15 And panic came on the camp and on the open country. All the people, the ones in the garrison and the raiding parties, were struck out of their senses; they would not act, and the land shook with fear. The panic came from the Lord. 16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the camp thrown into confusion, this way and that. 17 And Saul said to the people with him, “Take the count now, and see who has gone out from among you.” They took the count, and Jonathan and the man who carried his weapons were not to be found. 18 And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ephod” — for he was the one carrying the ephod that day in front of Israel. [f] 19 And while Saul was still speaking to the priest, the noise in the camp of the Philistines went on and on and grew louder. And Saul said to the priest, “Draw your hands back.”

20 And Saul shouted, and all the people with him, and they came as far as the battle; and there was every man’s sword against his neighbor, a very great confusion. 21 And the slaves who up until then had been with the Philistines, who had gone up with them into the camp, turned around as well, to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 And all the Israelites who were hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were running away, and they too joined the fight behind them. 23 And the Lord saved Israel that day. And the war passed on through Baithon, and all the people with Saul were about ten thousand men; and the fighting was spread out over the whole city in the hill country of Ephraim. [g]

24 And Saul went badly wrong that day in his ignorance: he laid a curse on the people, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats bread before evening, so that I may take my revenge on my enemy.” And not one of the people tasted bread. 25 And the whole land was at its meal. And there was a forest with a bees’ nest in it, out on the face of the open field; [h] 26 and the people came into the place of the bees, and there they went, talking as they went, and not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because the people were afraid of the oath of the Lord. [i]

27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under the oath. He reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb and put his hand back to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. 28 And one of the people spoke up and said, “Your father put the people under a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats bread today.’” And the people were worn out. 29 And Jonathan learned of it and said, “My father has ruined the land. See now how my eyes have seen, because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 If only the people had eaten their fill today of the spoil of their enemies that they found — then the blow against the Philistines would have been far greater.” 31 And that day he struck down some of the Philistines at Michmash, and the people were utterly worn out.

32 And the people turned to the spoil, and the people took flocks and herds and calves and slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate with the blood. 33 And it was reported to Saul: “The people are sinning against the Lord, eating with the blood.” And Saul said, at Getthem, “Roll me a great stone here.” 34 And Saul said, “Scatter among the people and tell them to bring here, each man his calf and each man his sheep, and let each one slaughter it on this stone; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And all the people brought, each man what was in his hand, and they slaughtered them there. 35 And Saul built an altar there to the Lord. This was the first altar Saul built to the Lord.

36 And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines tonight and plunder among them until the day breaks, and let us not leave a man among them.” And they said, “Do everything that is good in your eyes.” And the priest said, “Let us come here to God.” 37 And Saul asked God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hands of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.

38 And Saul said, “Bring here all the corners of Israel, and find out and see by whom this sin has come about today. [j] 39 For as the Lord lives, who has saved Israel — even if the answer comes back against Jonathan my son, he will surely die.” And there was no one out of all the people who answered him. 40 And he said to all Israel, “You are to be as slaves, and I and Jonathan my son are to be as slaves.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what is good in your eyes.” [k] 41 And Saul said, “Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your slave today? If the wrong is in me or in Jonathan my son, Lord God of Israel, give clear signs; and if you say this — ‘It is in your people Israel’ — then give holiness.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, and the people went free. [l] 42 And Saul said, “Cast the lots between me and Jonathan my son. Whichever of us the Lord takes by lot, let him die.” And the people said to Saul, “This must not be.” But Saul overruled the people, and they cast the lots between him and Jonathan his son, and Jonathan was taken by lot.

43 And Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him and said, “I did taste a little honey, with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, and I am to die.” 44 And Saul said to him, “May God do this to me, and more as well — you will surely die today.” 45 And the people said to Saul, “Shall the man who won this great rescue in Israel be put to death today? As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, for it is the people of God who have made this day.” And the people prayed for Jonathan that day, and he did not die. 46 And Saul went up from following the Philistines, and the Philistines went off to their own place.

47 And Saul was given by lot the work over Israel. And he fought all his enemies round about — Moab, and the sons of Ammon, and the sons of Edom, and Baethaeor, and the king of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he came through safely. [m] 48 And he showed his strength and struck Amalek, and pulled Israel out of the hand of those who trampled on it.

49 And the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the second Michal. 50 And the name of his wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner son of Ner, the son of Saul’s kinsman. 51 And Kish was Saul’s father, and Ner, Abner’s father, was the son of Jamin son of Abiel. [n] 52 And the war was hard against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and whenever Saul saw a strong man, or any man who was a son of strength, he took him to himself.