1 Samuel 14:1-52
Jonathan Attacks the Philistines
1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-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 toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.
6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward 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 armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”
So Jonathan said to his armor-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 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.
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.
16 Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.
18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.)[b] 19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.
24 Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food.
25 The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. 26 When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out; yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. 28 Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, ‘Cursed be anyone who eats food today!’ That is why the men are faint.”
29 Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”
31 That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Mikmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted. 32 They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood. 33 Then someone said to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood in it.”
“You have broken faith,” he said. “Roll a large stone over here at once.” 34 Then he said, “Go out among the men and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.’”
So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there. 35 Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this.
36 Saul said, “Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive.”
“Do whatever seems best to you,” they replied.
But the priest said, “Let us inquire of God here.”
37 So Saul asked God, “Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?” But God did not answer him that day.
38 Saul therefore said, “Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. 39 As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.” But not one of them said a word.
40 Saul then said to all the Israelites, “You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here.”
“Do what seems best to you,” they replied.
41 Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. 42 Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”
So Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now I must die!”
44 Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.”
45 But the men said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.” So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.
46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.
47 After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them. 48 He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.
49 Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal. 50 His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul’s army was Abner son of Ner, and Ner was Saul’s uncle. 51 Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.
52 All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.
That day, Saul’s son Jonathan was talking with the young man who carried his weapons. Jonathan said, “Let’s go to the Philistine camp on the other side of the valley.” But Jonathan did not tell his father...Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree at the threshing floor at the edge of the hill...Saul had about 600 men with him...One of the men was named Ahijah...Ahijah was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub...Ahitub was the son of Phinehas...Phinehas was the son of Eli...Eli had been the LORD’s priest at Shiloh. Now Ahijah was the priest who wore the ephod...These men did not know that Jonathan had left...Jonathan was planning to go through a pass to get to the Philistine camp...There was a large rock on each side of the pass...The large rock on one side was named Bozez...The large rock on the other side was named Seneh...One of the rocks faced north toward Mikmash, and the other faced south toward Geba...Jonathan said to his young helper who carried his weapons, “Come on, let’s go to the camp of those foreigners...Maybe the LORD will use us to defeat them...Nothing can stop the LORD—it doesn’t matter if we have many soldiers or just a few soldiers.”...The young man who carried Jonathan’s weapons said to him, “Do what you think is best...Whatever you decide, I am with you all the way.”...Jonathan said, “Let’s go!...We’ll cross the valley and go to the Philistine guards...We’ll let them see us...If they say to us, ‘Stay there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are....We won’t go up to them...But if the Philistine men say, ‘Come up here,’ then we will climb up to them...That will be a sign from God...That will mean that the LORD will allow us to defeat them.”...So Jonathan and his helper let the Philistines see them...The Philistine guards said, “Look!...The Hebrews are coming out of the holes they were hiding in.”...The Philistines in the fort shouted to Jonathan and his helper, “Come up here...We’ll teach you a lesson.”...Jonathan said to his helper, “Follow me up the hill...The LORD is letting Israel defeat the Philistines.”...So Jonathan climbed up the hill with his hands and feet, and his helper was right behind him...Jonathan and his helper attacked them...In the first attack, they killed 20 Philistines in an area about one-half acre in size...Jonathan fought the men who attacked from the front...His helper came behind him and killed the men who were only wounded...Great fear spread among the Philistine soldiers—those in the field, in the camp, and at the fort...Even the bravest soldiers were afraid...The ground began to shake, and they were completely overcome with fear...Saul’s guards at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin saw the Philistine soldiers running away in different ways...Saul said to the army with him, “Count the men...I want to know who left camp.”...They counted the men...Jonathan and his helper were gone...Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the Ark of God.”...(At that time it was with the Israelites.)...While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more...So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”...Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle...They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords...Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan...When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit...So on that day the LORD saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven...
But Saul made a big mistake that day...He made this oath: “If any man eats food before evening comes, before I finish defeating my enemies, he will be under a curse.”...He made the soldiers promise not to eat...So none of them ate anything...Because of the fighting, the people went into some woods...Then they saw a honeycomb on the ground...The Israelites went up to the honeycomb, but they didn’t eat any of it...They were afraid to break the promise...But Jonathan didn’t know about the oath...He didn’t hear his father make the soldiers promise not to eat...Jonathan had a stick in his hand, so he dipped the end of the stick into the honeycomb and pulled out some honey...He ate the honey and began to feel much better...One of the soldiers told Jonathan, “Your father forced the soldiers to make a special promise...He said that any man who eats today will be under a curse...So the men have not eaten anything...That’s why they are weak.”...Jonathan said, “My father has brought a lot of trouble to the land...See how much better I feel after tasting just a little of this honey...It would have been much better for the men to eat the food that they took from their enemies today...We could have killed more Philistines.”...That day the Israelites defeated the Philistines...They fought them all the way from Mikmash to Aijalon...So the people were very tired and hungry...They had taken sheep, cattle, and calves from the Philistines...Now they were so hungry that they killed the animals on the ground and ate them...And the blood was still in the animals...Someone said to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the LORD...They’re eating meat that still has blood in it!”...Saul said, “You have sinned...Roll a large stone over here now!”...Then Saul said, “Go to the men and tell them that each one must bring his bull and sheep to me...Then the men must kill their bulls and sheep here...Don’t sin against the LORD!...Don’t eat meat that still has blood in it.”...That night everyone brought their animals and killed them there...Then Saul built an altar for the LORD...Saul himself began building that altar for the LORD...Saul said, “Let’s go after the Philistines tonight...We will take everything from them...We will kill them all!”...The army answered, “Do whatever you think is best.”...But the priest said, “Let’s ask God.”...So Saul asked God, “Should I go chase the Philistines?...Will you let us defeat the Philistines?”...But God did not answer Saul that day...So Saul said, “Bring all the leaders to me!...Let’s find who committed the sin today...I swear by the LORD who saves Israel, that even if my own son Jonathan sinned, he must die.”...None of the people said a word...Then Saul said to all the Israelites, “You stand on this side...I and my son Jonathan will stand on the other side.”...The soldiers answered, “As you wish, sir.”...Then Saul prayed, “LORD, God of Israel, why haven’t you answered me today?...Show us who sinned...If it was I or my son Jonathan, give Urim...But if it was your people Israel who sinned, give Thummim.”...Saul and Jonathan were shown to be the ones who sinned, and the people went free...Saul said, “Throw them again to show the guilty one—me or my son Jonathan.”...Jonathan was shown to be the one...Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”...Jonathan told Saul, “I only tasted a little honey from the end of my stick...Should I die for doing that?”...Saul said, “I made an oath and asked God to punish me if I didn’t keep it...Jonathan, you must die.”...But the soldiers said to Saul, “Jonathan led Israel to a great victory today...Must Jonathan die?...Never!...As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair of Jonathan’s head will fall to the ground!...God helped Jonathan fight against the Philistines today.”...So the people saved Jonathan from death...Saul did not chase the Philistines...The Philistines went back to their place...
Saul took full control of Israel and fought all the enemies who lived around Israel...Saul fought Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the king of Zobah, and the Philistines...He defeated Israel’s enemies wherever he went...Saul was very brave...He saved Israel from all the enemies who tried to take things from the Israelites...He even defeated the Amalekites...Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki Shua...Saul’s older daughter was named Merab...Saul’s younger daughter was named Michal...Saul’s wife was named Ahinoam...Ahinoam was the daughter of Ahimaaz...The commander of Saul’s army was named Abner son of Ner...Ner was Saul’s uncle...Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel...Saul was brave all his life...He fought hard against the Philistines...Any time Saul saw a man who was strong or brave, he took that man and put him into the group of soldiers who stayed near the king and protected him...