Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 14"

1 Samuel 14

The Message Bible MSG

1 Later that day, Jonathan, Saul's son, said to his armor bearer, "Come on, let's go over to the Philistine garrison patrol on the other side of the pass." But he didn't tell his father.

2 Meanwhile, Saul was taking it easy under the pomegranate tree at the threshing floor on the edge of town at Geba (Gibeah). There were about six hundred men with him.

3 Ahijah, wearing the priestly Ephod, was also there. (Ahijah was the son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eli the priest of God at Shiloh.) No one there knew that Jonathan had gone off.

4 The pass that Jonathan was planning to cross over to the Philistine garrison was flanked on either side by sharp rock outcroppings, cliffs named Bozez and Seneh.

5 The cliff to the north faced Micmash; the cliff to the south faced Geba (Gibeah).

6 Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come on now, let's go across to these uncircumcised pagans. Maybe God will work for us. There's no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God from saving when he sets his mind to it."

7 His armor bearer said, "Go ahead. Do what you think best. I'm with you all the way."

8 Jonathan said, "Here's what we'll do. We'll cross over the pass and let the men see we're there.

9 If they say, 'Halt! Don't move until we check you out,' we'll stay put and not go up.

10 But if they say, 'Come on up,' we'll go right up - and we'll know God has given them to us. That will be our sign."

11 So they did it, the two of them. They stepped into the open where they could be seen by the Philistine garrison. The Philistines shouted out, "Look at that! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!"

12 Then they yelled down to Jonathan and his armor bearer, "Come on up here! We've got a thing or two to show you!"

13 Jonathan shouted to his armor bearer, "Up! Follow me! God has turned them over to Israel!" Jonathan scrambled up on all fours, his armor bearer right on his heels. When the Philistines came running up to them, he knocked them flat, his armor bearer right behind finishing them off, bashing their heads in with stones.

14 In this first bloody encounter, Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men.

15 That set off a terrific upheaval in both camp and field, the soldiers in the garrison and the raiding squad badly shaken up, the ground itself shuddering - panic like you've never seen before!

16 Saul's sentries posted back at Geba (Gibeah) in Benjamin saw the confusion and turmoil raging in the camp.

17 Saul commanded, "Line up and take the roll. See who's here and who's missing."

18 When they called the roll, Jonathan and his armor bearer turned up missing.

19 While Saul was in conversation with the priest, the upheaval in the Philistine camp became greater and louder. Then Saul interrupted Ahijah: "Put the Ephod away."

20 Saul immediately called his army together and they went straight to the battle. When they got there they found total confusion - Philistines swinging their swords wildly, killing each other.

21 Hebrews who had earlier defected to the Philistine camp came back. They now wanted to be with Israel under Saul and Jonathan.

22 Not only that, but when all the Israelites who had been hiding out in the backwoods of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were running for their lives, they came out and joined the chase.

23 God saved Israel! What a day! The fighting moved on to Beth Aven. The whole army was behind Saul now - ten thousand strong! - with the fighting scattering into all the towns throughout the hills of Ephraim.

24 Saul did something really foolish that day. He addressed the army: "A curse on the man who eats anything before evening, before I've wreacked vengeance on my enemies!" None of them ate a thing all day.

25 There were honeycombs here and there in the fields.

26 But no one so much as put his finger in the honey to taste it, for the soldiers to a man feared the curse.

27 But Jonathan hadn't heard his father put the army under oath. He stuck the tip of his staff into some honey and ate it. Refreshed, his eyes lit up with renewed vigor.

28 A soldier spoke up, "Your father has put the army under solemn oath, saying, 'A curse on the man who eats anything before evening!' No wonder the soldiers are drooping!"

29 Jonathan said, "My father has imperiled the country. Just look how quickly my energy has returned since I ate a little of this honey!

30 It would have been a lot better, believe me, if the soldiers had eaten their fill of whatever they took from the enemy. Who knows how much worse we could have whipped them!"

31 They killed Philistines that day all the way from Micmash to Aijalon, but the soldiers ended up totally exhausted.

32 Then they started plundering. They grabbed anything in sight - sheep, cattle, calves - and butchered it where they found it. Then they glutted themselves - meat, blood, the works.

33 Saul was told, "Do something! The soldiers are sinning against God. They're eating meat with the blood still in it!"

34 He continued, "Disperse among the troops and tell them, 'Bring your oxen and sheep to me and butcher them properly here. Then you can feast to your heart's content. Please don't sin against God by eating meat with the blood still in it.'" And so they did. That night each soldier, one after another, led his animal there to be butchered.

35 That's the story behind Saul's building an altar to God. It's the first altar to God that he built.

36 Saul said, "Let's go after the Philistines tonight! We can spend the night looting and plundering. We won't leave a single live Philistine!" "Sounds good to us," said the troops. "Let's do it!" But the priest slowed them down: "Let's find out what God thinks about this."

37 So Saul prayed to God, "Shall I go after the Philistines? Will you put them in Israel's hand?" God didn't answer him on that occasion.

38 Saul then said, "All army officers, step forward. Some sin has been committed this day. We're going to find out what it is and who did it!

39 As God lives, Israel's Savior God, whoever sinned will die, even if it should turn out to be Jonathan, my son!" Nobody said a word.

40 Saul said to the Israelites, "You line up over on that side, and I and Jonathan my son will stand on this side." The army agreed, "Fine. Whatever you say."

41 Then Saul prayed to God, "O God of Israel, why haven't you answered me today? Show me the truth. If the sin is in me or Jonathan, then, O God, give the sign Urim. But if the sin is in the army of Israel, give the sign Thummim." The Urim sign turned up and pointed to Saul and Jonathan. That cleared the army.

42 Next Saul said, "Cast the lots between me and Jonathan - and death to the one God points to!" The soldiers protested, "No - this is not right. Stop this!" But Saul pushed on anyway. They cast the lots, Urim and Thummim, and the lot fell to Jonathan.

43 Saul confronted Jonathan. "What did you do? Tell me!" Jonathan said, "I licked a bit of honey off the tip of the staff I was carrying. That's it - and for that I'm to die?"

44 Saul said, "Yes. Jonathan most certainly will die. It's out of my hands - I can't go against God, can I?"

45 The soldiers rose up: "Jonathan - die? Never! He's just carried out this stunning salvation victory for Israel. As surely as God lives, not a hair on his head is going to be harmed. Why, he's been working hand-in-hand with God all day!" The soldiers rescued Jonathan and he didn't die.

46 Saul pulled back from chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines went home.

47 Saul extended his rule, capturing neighboring kingdoms. He fought enemies on every front - Moab, Ammon, Edom, the king of Zobah, the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he came up with a victory.

48 He became invincible! He smashed Amalek, freeing Israel from the savagery and looting.

49 Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. His daughters were Merab, the firstborn, and Michal, the younger.

50 Saul's wife was Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz. Abner son of Ner was commander of Saul's army (Ner was Saul's uncle).

51 Kish, Saul's father, and Ner, Abner's father, were the sons of Abiel.

52 All through Saul's life there was war, bitter and relentless, with the Philistines. Saul conscripted every strong and brave man he laid eyes on.

New Century Version NCV

1 One day Jonathan, Saul's son, said to the officer who carried his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine camp on the other side." But Jonathan did not tell his father.

2 Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree at the threshing floor near Gibeah. He had about six hundred men with him.

3 One man was Ahijah who was wearing the holy vest. (Ahijah was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub. Ichabod was the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh.) No one knew Jonathan had left.

4 There was a steep slope on each side of the pass that Jonathan planned to go through to reach the Philistine camp. The cliff on one side was named Bozez, and the cliff on the other side was named Seneh.

5 One cliff faced north toward Micmash. The other faced south toward Geba.

6 Jonathan said to his officer who carried his armor, "Come. Let's go to the camp of those men who are not circumcised. Maybe the Lord will help us. The Lord can give us victory if we have many people, or just a few."

7 The officer who carried Jonathan's armor said to him, "Do whatever you think is best. Go ahead. I'm with you."

8 Jonathan said, "Then come. We will cross over to the Philistines and let them see us.

9 If they say to us, 'Stay there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are. We won't go up to them.

10 But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, and the Lord will let us defeat them. This will be the sign for us."

11 When both Jonathan and his officer let the Philistines see them, the Philistines said, "Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in!"

12 The Philistines in the camp shouted to Jonathan and his officer, "Come up to us. We'll teach you a lesson!" Jonathan said to his officer, "Climb up behind me, because the Lord has given the Philistines to Israel!"

13 So Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, and his officer climbed just behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines as he went, and his officer killed them as he followed behind him.

14 In that first fight Jonathan and his officer killed about twenty Philistines over a half acre of ground.

15 All the Philistine soldiers panicked -- those in the camp and those in the raiding party. The ground itself shook! God had caused the panic.

16 Saul's guards were at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin when they saw the Philistine soldiers running in every direction.

17 Saul said to his army, "Check to see who has left our camp." When they checked, they learned that Jonathan and his officer were gone.

18 So Saul said to Ahijah the priest, "Bring the Ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)

19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp was growing. Then Saul said to Ahijah, "Put your hand down!"

20 Then Saul gathered his army and entered the battle. They found the Philistines confused, striking each other with their swords!

21 Earlier, there were Hebrews who had served the Philistines and had stayed in their camp, but now they joined the Israelites with Saul and Jonathan.

22 When all the Israelites hidden in the mountains of Ephraim heard that the Philistine soldiers were running away, they also joined the battle and chased the Philistines.

23 So the Lord saved the Israelites that day, and the battle moved on past Beth Aven.

24 The men of Israel were miserable that day because Saul had made an oath for all of them. He had said, "No one should eat food before evening and before I finish defeating my enemies. If he does, he will be cursed!" So no Israelite soldier ate food.

25 Now the army went into the woods, where there was some honey on the ground.

26 They came upon some honey, but no one took any because they were afraid of the oath.

27 Jonathan had not heard the oath Saul had put on the army, so he dipped the end of his stick into the honey and lifted some out and ate it. Then he felt better.

28 Then one of the soldiers told Jonathan, "Your father made an oath for all the soldiers. He said any man who eats today will be cursed! That's why they are so weak."

29 Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the land! See how much better I feel after just tasting a little of this honey!

30 It would have been much better for the men to eat the food they took from their enemies today. We could have killed many more Philistines!"

31 That day the Israelites defeated the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon. After that, they were very tired.

32 They had taken sheep, cattle, and calves from the Philistines. Now they were so hungry they killed the animals on the ground and ate them, without draining the blood from them!

33 Someone said to Saul, "Look! The men are sinning against the Lord. They're eating meat without draining the blood from it!" Saul said, "You have sinned! Roll a large stone over here now!"

34 Then he said, "Go to the men and tell them that each person must bring his ox and sheep to me and kill it here and eat it. Don't sin against the Lord by eating meat without draining the blood from it." That night everyone brought his animals and killed them there.

35 Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar he had built to the Lord.

36 Saul said, "Let's go after the Philistines tonight and rob them. We won't let any of them live!" The men answered, "Do whatever you think is best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God."

37 So Saul asked God, "Should I chase the Philistines? Will you let us defeat them?" But God did not answer Saul at that time.

38 Then Saul said to all the leaders of his army, "Come here. Let's find out what sin has been done today.

39 As surely as the Lord lives who has saved Israel, even if my son Jonathan did the sin, he must die." But no one in the army spoke.

40 Then Saul said to all the Israelites, "You stand on this side. I and my son Jonathan will stand on the other side." The men answered, "Do whatever you think is best."

41 Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer." And Saul and Jonathan were picked; the other men went free.

42 Saul said, "Now let us discover if it is I or Jonathan my son who is guilty." And Jonathan was picked.

43 Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told Saul, "I only tasted a little honey from the end of my stick. And must I die now?"

44 Saul said, "Jonathan, if you don't die, may God punish me terribly."

45 But the soldiers said to Saul, "Must Jonathan die? Never! He is responsible for saving Israel today! As surely as the Lord lives, not even a hair of his head will fall to the ground! Today Jonathan fought against the Philistines with God's help!" So the army saved Jonathan, and he did not die.

46 Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and they went back to their own land.

47 When Saul became king over Israel, he fought against Israel's enemies all around. He fought Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the king of Zobah, and the Philistines. Everywhere Saul went he defeated Israel's enemies.

48 He fought bravely and defeated the Amalekites. He saved the Israelites from their enemies who had robbed them.

49 Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. His older daughter was named Merab, and his younger daughter was named Michal.

50 Saul's wife was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul's uncle.

51 Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.

52 All Saul's life he fought hard against the Philistines. When he saw strong or brave men, he took them into his army.