1 Samuel 13:19-14:15

New International Version - UK

¹⁹ Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, ‘Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!’ ²⁰ So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their ploughshares, mattocks, axes and sickles^[a] sharpened. ²¹ The price was two-thirds of a shekel^[b] for sharpening ploughshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel^[c] for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

²² So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan attacks the Philistines

²³ Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash. 14 ¹ One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armour-bearer, ‘Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.’ But he did not tell his father.

² Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, ³ among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

⁴ On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵ One cliff stood to the north towards Michmash, the other to the south towards Geba.

⁶ Jonathan said to his young armour-bearer, ‘Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.’

⁷ ‘Do all that you have in mind,’ his armour-bearer said. ‘Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.’

⁸ Jonathan said, ‘Come on, then; we will cross over towards them and let them see us. ⁹ If they say to us, “Wait there until we come to you,” we will stay where we are and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, “Come up to us,” we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.’

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. ‘Look!’ said the Philistines. ‘The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.’ ¹² The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armour-bearer, ‘Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.’

So Jonathan said to his armour-bearer, ‘Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.’

¹³ Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armour-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armour-bearer followed and killed behind him. ¹⁴ In that first attack Jonathan and his armour-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.^[d]

Israel routs the Philistines

¹⁵ Then panic struck the whole army – those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties – and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.^[e]