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Jonathan Slaughters the Philistines

14 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. And Saul was staying in the outskirts of (A)Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in (B)Migron. And the people who were with him were (C)about six hundred men, and Ahijah, the (D)son of Ahitub, (E)Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Yahweh at (F)Shiloh, (G)was [a]wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. (H)Now between 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. The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.

Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of (I)these uncircumcised; perhaps Yahweh will work for us, for (J)Yahweh is not restrained to save by many or by few.” And his armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your heart.” Then Jonathan said, “(K)Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them. If they [b]say 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 [c]say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for Yahweh has given them into our hands; and (L)this shall be the sign to us.” 11 So both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, “Behold, (M)Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 So the men of the garrison [d]hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us, and (N)we will make you know something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for (O)Yahweh 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 And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an [e]acre of land. 15 And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and (P)the raiders trembled, and (Q)the earth quaked so (R)that it became a [f]great trembling.

16 Then Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away; and they went here and there. 17 So Saul said to the people who were with him, “[g]Number now and see who has gone from us.” And when they had [h]numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there. 18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, “(S)Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel. 19 (T)And it happened that while 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, (U)every 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 (V)they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Now all the (W)men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, and they pursued them closely in the battle. 23 So (X)Yahweh saved Israel that day, and the battle [i]spread beyond (Y)Beth-aven.

Saul’s Oath Makes the People Weary

24 Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day. And Saul had (Z)put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food [j]before evening and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. 25 Now all the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26 So the people entered the forest, and behold, (AA)there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the sworn oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under a sworn oath; therefore, (AB)he 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 (AC)his eyes brightened. 28 Then one of the people answered and said, “Your father strictly put the people under a sworn oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’” And the people were weary. 29 Then Jonathan said, “(AD)My 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 Then they struck among the Philistines that day from (AE)Michmash to (AF)Aijalon. And the people were very weary. 32 (AG)So the people [k]rushed greedily upon the spoil, and they took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them (AH)with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are (AI)sinning against Yahweh by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously; roll a great stone to me today.” 34 And Saul said, “Scatter 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 Yahweh by eating with the blood.’” So all the people that night brought each one his ox [l]with him and slaughtered it there. 35 And (AJ)Saul built an altar to Yahweh; it was the first altar that he built to Yahweh.

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 in your eyes.” So (AK)the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 And Saul (AL)asked of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But (AM)He did not answer him on that day. 38 And Saul said, “(AN)Draw near here, all you [m]chiefs of the people, and know and see how this sin has happened today. 39 For (AO)as Yahweh lives, who saves 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 in your eyes.” 41 Therefore, Saul said to Yahweh, the God of Israel, “(AP)Give a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. 42 And Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.

43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “(AQ)Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “(AR)I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I must die!” 44 And Saul said, “(AS)May God do [n]this to me and more also, for (AT)you shall surely die, Jonathan.” 45 But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has [o]brought about this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, (AU)not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for (AV)he has worked with God this day.” So the people [p]redeemed Jonathan, and he did not die. 46 Then Saul went up from [q]pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul Fights Against His Enemies

47 Now Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, and he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, (AW)the sons of Ammon, Edom, (AX)the kings of Zobah, and (AY)the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he [r]inflicted punishment. 48 And he acted valiantly and (AZ)struck down the Amalekites and delivered Israel from the hands of [s]those who plundered them.

49 Now (BA)the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn (BB)Merab and the name of the younger (BC)Michal. 50 And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And (BD)the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. 51 (BE)And Kish 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 Saul would see any mighty man or any man of valor and would (BF)gather him to [t]his staff.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 14:3 Lit carrying
  2. 1 Samuel 14:9 Lit say thus
  3. 1 Samuel 14:10 Lit say thus
  4. 1 Samuel 14:12 Lit answered
  5. 1 Samuel 14:14 Lit oxen of field; what oxen could plow in a day
  6. 1 Samuel 14:15 Lit trembling of God
  7. 1 Samuel 14:17 Lit Muster(ed)
  8. 1 Samuel 14:17 Lit muster(ed)
  9. 1 Samuel 14:23 Lit passed over
  10. 1 Samuel 14:24 Lit until
  11. 1 Samuel 14:32 Lit did with regard to the spoil
  12. 1 Samuel 14:34 Lit in his hand
  13. 1 Samuel 14:38 Lit corners
  14. 1 Samuel 14:44 Lit thus
  15. 1 Samuel 14:45 Lit worked
  16. 1 Samuel 14:45 Lit ransomed
  17. 1 Samuel 14:46 Lit after
  18. 1 Samuel 14:47 Or condemned
  19. 1 Samuel 14:48 Lit its plunderers
  20. 1 Samuel 14:52 Lit himself

Jonathan’s Daring Plan

14 One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to where the Philistines have their outpost.” But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing.

Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree[a] at Migron. Among Saul’s men was Ahijah the priest, who was wearing the ephod, the priestly vest. Ahijah was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord who had served at Shiloh.

No one realized that Jonathan had left the Israelite camp. To reach the Philistine outpost, Jonathan had to go down between two rocky cliffs that were called Bozez and Seneh. The cliff on the north was in front of Micmash, and the one on the south was in front of Geba. “Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”

“Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”

“All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the Lord’s sign that he will help us defeat them.”

11 When the Philistines saw them coming, they shouted, “Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!” 12 Then the men from the outpost shouted to Jonathan, “Come on up here, and we’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Come on, climb right behind me,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “for the Lord will help us defeat them!”

13 So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed those who came behind them. 14 They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.[b]

15 Suddenly, panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in the camp and in the field, including even the outposts and raiding parties. And just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified.

Israel Defeats the Philistines

16 Saul’s lookouts in Gibeah of Benjamin saw a strange sight—the vast army of Philistines began to melt away in every direction.[c] 17 “Call the roll and find out who’s missing,” Saul ordered. And when they checked, they found that Jonathan and his armor bearer were gone.

18 Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, “Bring the ephod here!” For at that time Ahijah was wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites.[d] 19 But while Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Never mind; let’s get going!”[e]

20 Then Saul and all his men rushed out to the battle and found the Philistines killing each other. There was terrible confusion everywhere. 21 Even the Hebrews who had previously gone over to the Philistine army revolted and joined in with Saul, Jonathan, and the rest of the Israelites. 22 Likewise, the men of Israel who were hiding in the hill country of Ephraim joined the chase when they saw the Philistines running away. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle continued to rage even beyond Beth-aven.

Saul’s Foolish Oath

24 Now the men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had placed them under an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies.” So no one ate anything all day, 25 even though they had all found honeycomb on the ground in the forest. 26 They didn’t dare touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken.

27 But Jonathan had not heard his father’s command, and he dipped the end of his stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey. After he had eaten it, he felt refreshed.[f] 28 But one of the men saw him and said, “Your father made the army take a strict oath that anyone who eats food today will be cursed. That is why everyone is weary and faint.”

29 “My father has made trouble for us all!” Jonathan exclaimed. “A command like that only hurts us. See how refreshed I am now that I have eaten this little bit of honey. 30 If the men had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more Philistines we could have killed!”

31 They chased and killed the Philistines all day from Micmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint. 32 That evening they rushed for the battle plunder and butchered the sheep, goats, cattle, and calves, but they ate them without draining the blood. 33 Someone reported to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that still has blood in it.”

“That is very wrong,” Saul said. “Find a large stone and roll it over here. 34 Then go out among the troops and tell them, ‘Bring the cattle, sheep, and goats here to me. Kill them here, and drain the blood before you eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with the blood still in it.’”

So that night all the troops brought their animals and slaughtered them there. 35 Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first of the altars he built to the Lord.

36 Then Saul said, “Let’s chase the Philistines all night and plunder them until sunrise. Let’s destroy every last one of them.”

His men replied, “We’ll do whatever you think is best.”

But the priest said, “Let’s ask God first.”

37 So Saul asked God, “Should we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?” But God made no reply that day.

38 Then Saul said to the leaders, “Something’s wrong! I want all my army commanders to come here. We must find out what sin was committed today. 39 I vow by the name of the Lord who rescued Israel that the sinner will surely die, even if it is my own son Jonathan!” But no one would tell him what the trouble was.

40 Then Saul said, “Jonathan and I will stand over here, and all of you stand over there.”

And the people responded to Saul, “Whatever you think is best.”

41 Then Saul prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent.[g]” Then they cast sacred lots, and Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent.

42 Then Saul said, “Now cast lots again and choose between me and Jonathan.” And Jonathan was shown to be the guilty one.

43 “Tell me what you have done,” Saul demanded of Jonathan.

“I tasted a little honey,” Jonathan admitted. “It was only a little bit on the end of my stick. Does that deserve death?”

44 “Yes, Jonathan,” Saul said, “you must die! May God strike me and even kill me if you do not die for this.”

45 But the people broke in and said to Saul, “Jonathan has won this great victory for Israel. Should he die? Far from it! As surely as the Lord lives, not one hair on his head will be touched, for God helped him do a great deed today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

46 Then Saul called back the army from chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines returned home.

Saul’s Military Successes

47 Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel’s throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction—against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he was victorious.[h] 48 He performed great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them.

49 Saul’s sons included Jonathan, Ishbosheth,[i] and Malkishua. He also had two daughters: Merab, who was older, and Michal. 50 Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul’s army was Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner. 51 Saul’s father, Kish, and Abner’s father, Ner, were both sons of Abiel.

52 The Israelites fought constantly with the Philistines throughout Saul’s lifetime. So whenever Saul observed a young man who was brave and strong, he drafted him into his army.

Footnotes

  1. 14:2 Or around the rock of Rimmon; compare Judg 20:45, 47; 21:13.
  2. 14:14 Hebrew half a yoke; a “yoke” was the amount of land plowed by a pair of yoked oxen in one day.
  3. 14:16 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads they went and there.
  4. 14:18 As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew reads “Bring the Ark of God.” For at that time the Ark of God was with the Israelites.
  5. 14:19 Hebrew Withdraw your hand.
  6. 14:27 Or his eyes brightened; similarly in 14:29.
  7. 14:41 Greek version adds If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim; but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim.
  8. 14:47 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads he acted wickedly.
  9. 14:49 Hebrew Ishvi, a variant name for Ishbosheth; also known as Esh-baal.