1 Samweli 14

Jonathan attacks the Philistine outpost

¹One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come on, let us go across to the Philistine outpost on the far side, over there.” But he did not tell his father. ²Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree at Migron, and the troops with him numbered about six hundred men. ³Ahijah son of Ahitub was there, wearing an ephod. Ahitub was the brother of Ichabod son of Phinehas son of Eli, the priest of the LORD at Shiloh. The troops did not know that Jonathan had gone. ⁴In the pass that Jonathan meant to cross to reach the Philistine outpost there was a rocky crag on one side and a rocky crag on the other. One was named Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵One crag rose like a pillar on the north side, facing Michmash, and the other stood on the south side, facing Geba.

⁶Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us cross to the post held by these uncircumcised men. It may be that the LORD will act for us. Nothing can keep the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” ⁷His armor-bearer answered him, “Do everything you have in mind. Go ahead. I am with you, whatever you decide.”

⁸Jonathan said, “All right, we will cross over to the men and let them see us. ⁹If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are until we come to you,’ then we will stand where we are and not go up to them. ¹⁰But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, because the LORD has given them into our power. That will be our sign.” ¹¹So the two of them let the Philistine outpost see them. And the Philistines said, “Look! Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have been hiding.” ¹²The men at the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up here to us, and we will teach you a lesson!” Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up behind me, for the LORD has given them into Israel’s power.” ¹³Jonathan climbed up using his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer followed. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer, coming after him, finished them off. ¹⁴In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed about twenty men within an area of about half an acre.^{a 15}Panic struck the camp, the open country and all the troops. Even the outpost and the raiding parties trembled. The ground shook, and it became a panic sent by God.^{b 16}Saul’s lookouts in Gibeah of Benjamin saw the crowd of soldiers melting away, scattering in every direction.

¹⁷Saul said to the troops with him, “Count the men and see who is missing.” When they counted, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. ¹⁸Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” At that time the ark of God was with the Israelites.^{c 19}While Saul was talking to the priest, the uproar in the Philistine camp kept growing louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Hold back your hand.” ²⁰Then Saul and all the troops with him rallied and went into the battle. There they found every Philistine’s sword turned against his comrade, in utter confusion. ²¹The Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before, and had gone up with them into the camp from the country around, also turned to join the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²²All the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, and they too joined the battle and kept close on their heels. ²³So the LORD saved Israel on that day, and the fighting moved on past Beth-aven. ²⁴The Israelite troops were worn out that day, because Saul had bound the army with an oath: “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening, before I have taken revenge on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted any food.

Honey in the woods

²⁵The whole army came into the woods, and there was honey on the ground. ²⁶When the troops came into the woods, they saw honey dripping, yet no one lifted his hand to his mouth, because the troops were afraid of the oath. ²⁷But Jonathan had not heard his father put the army under oath. He reached out with the staff he was holding, dipped its tip into the honeycomb and raised it to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. ²⁸One of the soldiers told him, “Your father made the troops swear a solemn oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who eats food today.’ That is why the troops are exhausted.”^{d 29}Jonathan said, “My father has brought trouble on the land. See how my eyes have brightened since I tasted this bit of honey. ³⁰How much better if the troops had eaten freely today from what they took from their enemies as plunder! As it is, the defeat of the Philistines has not been great.” ³¹That day the Israelites struck down the Philistines all the way from Michmash to Aijalon, and the troops were utterly exhausted. ³²The troops pounced on the plunder. They took sheep, cattle and calves, slaughtered them on the ground, and ate them with the blood still in them. ³³Saul was told, “Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD. They are eating meat with the blood in it.” He said, “You have broken faith! Roll a large stone over to me at once.” ³⁴Then Saul said, “Go out among the troops and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your ox or your sheep. Slaughter them here and eat. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat that still has its blood.’” So that night all the troops brought their oxen with them and slaughtered them there. ³⁵Saul built an altar to the LORD. It was the first altar he built to the LORD.^e

³⁶Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until daybreak. Let us not leave a single one of them alive.” They answered, “Do whatever you think best.” But the priest said, “Let us come near to God here first.” ³⁷So Saul asked God, “Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you hand them over to Israel?” But God did not answer him that day. ³⁸Then Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the troops, and find out how this sin was committed today. ³⁹As surely as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die!” Yet no one among the troops answered him. ⁴⁰Then he said to all Israel, “You stand on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will stand on the other.” The troops told Saul, “Do whatever you think best.”

The lot falls on Jonathan

⁴¹Then Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Show the right answer.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by the lot, and the troops were cleared.^{f 42}Then Saul said, “Cast the lot to decide between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken. ⁴³Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey on the end of the staff I was holding. Here I am. I am ready to die.”^{g 44}Saul said, “May God deal with me ever so severely if you do not die, Jonathan!” ⁴⁵But the troops said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die, when he has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has done this today with God’s help.” So the troops ransomed Jonathan, and he did not die.

⁴⁶Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines and went back up, and the Philistines returned to their own land. ⁴⁷When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against his enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he punished them.^{h 48}He fought with great courage. He struck down the Amalekites and rescued Israel from the power of those who plundered them.

Saul’s family and his wars

⁴⁹Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. He had two daughters; the older was named Merab and the younger Michal. ⁵⁰Saul’s wife was named Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of his army was named Abner son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. ⁵¹Kish, Saul’s father, and Ner, Abner’s father, were sons of Abiel.

⁵²There was hard fighting against the Philistines all of Saul’s life. Whenever Saul saw a strong or brave man, he took him into his service.