1 Samuel 14 (New American Standard)

Jonathan's Victory

1 Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the Philistines' garrison that is on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of ¹Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in ²Migron. And the people who were with him were ³about six hundred men, 3 and Ahijah, the ⁴son of Ahitub, ⁵Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the LORD at ⁶Shiloh, ⁷was ^awearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 ⁸Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side and a sharp 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 on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba. 6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the garrison of ⁹these uncircumcised ; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for ¹⁰the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few." 7 His armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart ; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your ^bdesire." 8 Then Jonathan said, "¹¹Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them. 9 "If they ^csay to us, 'Wait until we come to you'; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them. 10 "But if they ^dsay, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hands ; and ¹²this shall be the sign to us." 11 When both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, "Behold, ¹³Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves." 12 So the men of the garrison ^ehailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, "Come up to us and ¹⁴we will tell you something." And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come up after me, for ¹⁵the LORD has given them into the hands of Israel." 13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him. 14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land. 15 And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and ¹⁶the raiders trembled, and ¹⁷the earth quaked so ¹⁸that it became a ^fgreat trembling. 16 Now Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away ; and they went here and there. 17 Saul said to the people who were with him, "^gNumber now and see who has gone from us." And when they had ^hnumbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there. 18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, "¹⁹Bring the ark of God here." For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel. 19 ²⁰While Saul talked to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased ; so Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle ; and behold, ²¹every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even ²²they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the ²³men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also pursued them closely in the battle. 23 So ²⁴the LORD delivered Israel that day, and the battle ⁱspread beyond ²⁵Beth-aven.

Saul's Foolish Order

24 Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had ²⁶put the people under oath, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats food ^jbefore evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies." So none of the people tasted food. 25 All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground . 26 When the people entered the forest, behold, ²⁷there was a flow of honey ; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath ; therefore, ²⁸he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb , and put his hand to his mouth, and ²⁹his eyes brightened. 28 Then one of the people said, "Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man who eats food today.' " And the people were weary. 29 Then Jonathan said, "³⁰My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 "How much more , if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found ! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great." 31 They struck among the Philistines that day from ³¹Michmash to ³²Aijalon. And the people were very weary. 32 ³³The people ^krushed greedily upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves , and slew them on the ground ; and the people ate them ³⁴with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people are ³⁵sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood." And he said, "You have acted treacherously ; roll a great stone to me today." 34 Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, 'Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat ; and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.' " So all the people that night brought each one his ox ^lwith him and slaughtered it there. 35 And ³⁶Saul built an altar to the LORD ; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD. 36 Then Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them." And they said, "Do whatever seems good ^mto you." So ³⁷the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here." 37 Saul ³⁸inquired of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines ? Will You give them into the hand of Israel ?" But ³⁹He did not answer him on that day. 38 Saul said, "⁴⁰Draw near here, all you ⁿchiefs of the people, and investigate and see how this sin has happened today. 39 "For ⁴¹as the LORD lives, who delivers Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But not one of all the people answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, "You shall be on one side and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side." And the people said to Saul, "Do what seems good ^oto you." 41 Therefore, Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, "⁴²Give a perfect lot." And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. 42 Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, "⁴³Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told him and said, "⁴⁴I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die !" 44 Saul said, "⁴⁵May God do ^pthis to me and more also, for ⁴⁶you shall surely die, Jonathan." 45 But the people said to Saul, "Must Jonathan die, who has ^qbrought about this great deliverance in Israel ? Far from it! As the LORD lives, ⁴⁷not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for ⁴⁸he has worked with God this day." So the people ^rrescued Jonathan and he did not die. 46 Then Saul went up from ^spursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Constant Warfare

47 Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, ⁴⁹the sons of Ammon, Edom, ⁵⁰the kings of Zobah, and ⁵¹the Philistines ; and wherever he turned, he ^tinflicted punishment. 48 He acted valiantly and ^u52defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of ^vthose who plundered them. 49 Now ⁵³the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua ; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn ⁵⁴Merab and the name of the younger ⁵⁵Michal. 50 The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And ⁵⁶the name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51 ⁵⁷Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. 52 Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul ; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he ^w58attached him to ^xhis staff.