1Now it happened one day that Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2Saul was staying at the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron, and the people who were with him were about six hundred men.
3and Ahijah son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of Yahweh in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4Now between the passes that Jonathan sought to cross over to reach the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other; the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other, Seneh.
5The one crag rose up like a pillar on the north, opposite Michmash, and the other on the south, opposite Geba.
6And Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. Perhaps Yahweh will act for us, for nothing restrains Yahweh from saving by many or by few.”
7His armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Turn wherever you wish; here I am with you, according to your heart.”
8Then Jonathan said, “Look, we are crossing over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them.
9If they say this to us, ‘Wait until we reach you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them.
10But if they say this, ‘Come up against us,’ then we will go up, for Yahweh has given them into our hand; and this will be the sign for us.”
11So the two of them revealed themselves to the Philistine garrison, and the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.”
12The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will teach you a lesson!” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for Yahweh has given them into the hand of Israel.”
13Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer was killing them behind him.
14And the first slaughter that Jonathan and his armor-bearer made was about twenty men, within about half a furrow of an acre of field.
15And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison and the raiding party — they too trembled, and the earth quaked, and it became a trembling from God.
16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was melting away and going here and there.
17Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Muster now and see who has gone from us.” And they mustered, and behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.
18And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ark of God” — for the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.
19And it happened, while Saul was speaking to the priest, that the tumult in the camp of the Philistines kept increasing more and more; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
20Then Saul and all the people who were with him were called together, and they came to the battle, and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow — a very great confusion.
21Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines as before, who had gone up with them into the camp all around, they too turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22And all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, and they too pursued hard after them in the battle.
23So Yahweh saved Israel on that day, and the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.
24And the men of Israel were hard pressed on that day, for Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.
25And all the land came into the forest, and there was honey on the surface of the field.
26And the people came into the forest, and behold, the honey was flowing, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
27But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath, so he reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and he brought his hand back to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
28Then one of the men answered and said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’” And the people were faint.
29Then Jonathan said, “My father has brought trouble on the land. See now how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.
30How much better if the people had freely eaten today of the spoil of their enemies that they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.
31On that day they struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very weary.
32The people rushed upon the plunder; they took sheep and cattle and calves and slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood.
33They told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against Yahweh by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously. Roll a great stone to me today.”
34Then Saul said, “Scatter among the people and say to them, ‘Let each man bring me his ox and each man his sheep, and slaughter them here and eat, and do not sin against Yahweh by eating with the blood.’” So all the people, each with his ox in his hand, brought them that night and slaughtered them there.
35And Saul built an altar to Yahweh; it was the first altar he built to Yahweh.
36Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder among them until the light of morning, and let us not leave a single man among them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good in your eyes.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near here to God.”
37So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him on that day.
38Then Saul said, “Draw near here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin arose today.
39For as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But no one among all the people answered him.
40Then he said to all Israel, “You 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.”
41Then Saul said to Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.
42Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.
43Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “I merely tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.”
44And Saul said, “May God do so and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
45But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has brought about this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! As Yahweh lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has acted with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, and he did not die.
46Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
47When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side: against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment.
48He did valiantly and struck down the Amalekites and delivered Israel from the hand of those who plundered them.
49The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger was Michal.
50The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
51Kish was Saul’s father, and Ner, the father of Abner, was the son of Abiel.
52There was fierce war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and whenever Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he took him to himself.
Open in the interactive reader →