16 No king is saved by the size of his army;(A)
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.

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16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.

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It was not by their sword(A) that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(B) your arm,(C)
    and the light(D) of your face, for you loved(E) them.

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For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

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23 The Ammonites(A) and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir(B) to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.(C)

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23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

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Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 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(A) that the Lord has given them into our hands.(B)

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

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand(F) of Israel.”

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

Israel Routs the Philistines

15 Then panic(G) struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding(H) parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.[a]

16 Saul’s lookouts(I) at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 14:15 Or a terrible panic

Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.

If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.

10 But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.

11 And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.

12 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.

13 And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him.

14 And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.

15 And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.

16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.

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23 This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(A)
    or the strong boast of their strength(B)
    or the rich boast of their riches,(C)

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23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

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I put no trust in my bow,(A)
    my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory(B) over our enemies,
    you put our adversaries to shame.(C)

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For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

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21 And the Lord sent an angel,(A) who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.(B)

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21 And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

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With him is only the arm of flesh,(A) but with us(B) is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”(C) And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish,(D) he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

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With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,

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12 Our God, will you not judge them?(A) For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.(B)

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12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

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Zerah the Cushite(A) marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.(B) 10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

11 Then Asa called(C) to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,(D) Lord our God, for we rely(E) on you, and in your name(F) we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail(G) against you.”

12 The Lord struck down(H) the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar.(I) Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed(J) before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.(K)

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And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

11 And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee.

12 So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.

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27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.(A)

28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god(B) of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know(C) that I am the Lord.’”

29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day.

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27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

29 And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.

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10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust(A) remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”

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10 And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

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16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels[a] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai(A) son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp(B) of Israel will not be extinguished.(C)

18 In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai(D) the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

19 In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair[b] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of[c] Goliath the Gittite,(E) who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.(F)

20 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21 When he taunted(G) Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,(H) David’s brother, killed him.

22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 21:16 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
  2. 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew Jaare-Oregim.
  3. 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew does not have the brother of.

16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.

19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.

22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

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