Jonathan’s Heroics

²³ A garrison of the Philistines took up a position by the pass at Mikmash.

14 One day^[a] Saul’s son Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come on! Let’s go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father ² Saul, who was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah, under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron. The people who were with Saul amounted to about six hundred men, ³ including Ahijah son of Ahitub. (Ahitub was the brother of Ichabod and the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh.) Ahijah was wearing the special vest.^[b]

The men did not know that Jonathan was gone.

⁴ On each side of the pass which Jonathan needed to cross in order to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a cliff with a sharp outcropping of rock. The name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other was Seneh. ⁵ One cliff rose up on the north side in front of Mikmash, and the other was on the south side in front of Geba.

⁶ Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come on! Let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised fellows. It may be that the Lord will exert his power for us, for the Lord is not limited. He can save by many or by few.”

⁷ His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is in your heart. Give it all you’ve got! I am with you heart and soul.”

⁸ Then Jonathan said, “Here’s the plan. We will cross over to them, and we will let them see us. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Stay there until we come to you!’ then we will stay right where we are. We will not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us!’ then we will go up, because the Lord has delivered them into our hand. This will be the sign for us.”

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, “What do you know! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have been hiding!” ¹² When Jonathan and his armor bearer appeared, the men of the garrison responded, “Come up to us. We have something to show you!”

So Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Follow me, because the Lord has delivered them into Israel’s hands.”

¹³ Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor bearer followed him. The Philistines fell wounded before Jonathan, and his armor bearer followed him, killing them as he went. ¹⁴ That first blow struck by Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men within about half an acre of land.^[c]

¹⁵ Panic spread throughout the entire Philistine army, both those in the camp and those in the open country. The garrison and the raiding parties also panicked. The earth quaked, and there was a panic sent by God. ¹⁶ Saul’s sentries at Geba^[d] of Benjamin looked out and saw the noisy crowd melting away and scattering in every direction.

¹⁷ Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Take roll call, and see who is missing from us.” When they took roll call, they realized that Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

¹⁸ Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the special vest^[e] of God here.” (The special vest of God was with the Israelites at that time.) ¹⁹ While Saul was talking to the priest, the uproar in the camp of the Philistines continued and got even louder, so Saul said to the priest, “Stop drawing lots!”^[f]

²⁰ Saul and all the troops who were with him assembled and joined the battle. There they saw the panicked Philistines striking each other with their swords. ²¹ Then the Hebrews from all around, who had previously sided with the Philistines and had joined them in their camp, deserted them to join the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they joined the battle and stuck to the Philistines in close pursuit. ²³ So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle progressed as far as Beth Aven.