1 Samuel 14:24-46
New Living Translation
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.[a] 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.[b]” 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.
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1 Samuel 14:24-46
International Standard Version
Saul Issues a Rash Edict
24 The men of Israel were hard pressed on that day, and Saul required the army to take an oath: “Cursed is the person who eats food before evening and before I’ve been avenged of my enemies.” So no one tasted food.
25 Later on, all the soldiers[a] entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. 26 The people came into the woods and there was flowing honey, but no one put his hand to his mouth to eat it because the people were afraid due to the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard that his father had required the army to swear an oath, so he stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. He brought it back to his mouth and his eyes brightened. 28 Then one of the people responded: “Your father strictly ordered the army to take an oath. That’s why he said, ‘Cursed is the person who eats food today,’ and so the army is exhausted.”
29 Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the army had eaten freely today of their enemy’s spoil that they found, because the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.”
31 That day they struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the army was very weary. 32 The army grabbed the spoil, took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground, and then the army ate them with the blood. 33 Someone[b] reported this to Saul: “Right now the army is sinning against the Lord by eating meat[c] with the blood.” He said, “You have acted treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today.”
34 Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the soldiers and say to them, ‘Let each man bring his ox and his sheep to me, and you are to slaughter them here and eat. But don’t sin against the Lord by eating meat[d] with the blood.’” So every soldier brought his ox with him that night, and they slaughtered them there. 35 Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until dawn, and let’s not leave a single one[e] of them alive.”
They said, “Do whatever seems good to you!”
But the priest said, “Let’s draw near to God here.”
37 Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But God[f] did not answer him that day.
38 Saul said, “All you army officers are to come here to find out[g] what constitutes[h] this sin today. 39 Indeed, as the Lord who delivers Israel lives, even if the sin[i] is with my son Jonathan, he will surely die!” Not a single one of the soldiers answered him. 40 Then he told all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.”
The people told Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
41 Then Saul told the Lord God of Israel, “Judge us properly.”[j] Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the army was cleared.[k] 42 Saul said, “Cast lots between me and my son Jonathan,” and Jonathan was selected. 43 Saul told Jonathan, “Tell me what you’ve done.”
So Jonathan spoke to him: “I did taste a little honey from the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I’m ready to die!”
44 Saul said, “May God do this to me[l] and even more, if you don’t surely die, Jonathan!”
45 Then the army told Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who brought about this great deliverance in Israel? As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, because today he did this with God’s help.”[m]
46 Then Saul stopped pursuing[n] the Philistines, and the Philistines went back to their territory.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 14:25 Lit. land
- 1 Samuel 14:33 Lit. They
- 1 Samuel 14:33 The Heb. lacks meat
- 1 Samuel 14:34 The Heb. lacks meat
- 1 Samuel 14:36 Lit. a man
- 1 Samuel 14:37 Lit. he
- 1 Samuel 14:38 Lit. know and see
- 1 Samuel 14:38 Lit. in what is
- 1 Samuel 14:39 Lit. it
- 1 Samuel 14:41 Lit. Give perfect
- 1 Samuel 14:41 Lit. went out
- 1 Samuel 14:44 So LXX; i.e. may God strike me dead
- 1 Samuel 14:45 Lit. with God
- 1 Samuel 14:46 Lit. went up from after
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