1 Samuel 14
1 Now it came to pass upon a
day, that
Jonathan the
son of
Saul said unto the young
man that
bare his
armour, Come, and let us go
over to the
Philistines' garrison, that is on the other
side. But he
told not his
father. 2 And
Saul tarried in the
uttermost part of
Gibeah under a pomegranate
tree which is in
Migron: and the
people that were with him were about
six hundred men; 3 And
Ahiah, the
son of
Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the
son of
Phinehas, the
son of
Eli, the
LORD'S priest in
Shiloh, wearing an
ephod. And the
people knew not that
Jonathan was
gone.
4 And between the
passages, by which
Jonathan sought to go
over unto the
Philistines' garrison, there was a
sharp rock on the one
side, and a
sharp rock on the other
side: and the
name of the
one was
Bozez, and the
name of the
other Seneh. 5 The
forefront of the
one was
situate northward over
against Michmash, and the
other southward over
against Gibeah. 6 And
Jonathan said to the young
man that
bare his
armour, Come, and let us go
over unto the
garrison of these
uncircumcised: it may be that the
LORD will
work for us: for there is no
restraint to the
LORD to
save by
many or by
few. 7 And his
armourbearer said unto him,
Do all that is in thine
heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy
heart. 8 Then
said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass
over unto these
men, and we will
discover ourselves unto them.
9 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.
17 Then
said Saul unto the
people that were with him,
Number now, and
see who is
gone from us. And when they had
numbered, behold,
Jonathan and his
armourbearer were not there.
18 And
Saul said unto
Ahiah, Bring
hither the
ark of
God. For the
ark of
God was at that
time with the
children of
Israel. 19 And it came to pass, while
Saul talked unto the
priest, that the
noise that was in the
host of the
Philistines went on and
increased: and
Saul said unto the
priest, Withdraw thine
hand. 20 And
Saul and all the
people that were with him
assembled themselves, and they
came to the
battle: and, behold, every
man's sword was against his
fellow, and there was a
very great discomfiture. 21 Moreover the
Hebrews that were with the
Philistines before that
time, which went
up with them into the
camp from the country round
about, even they also turned to be with the
Israelites that were with
Saul and
Jonathan. 22 Likewise all the
men of
Israel which had
hid themselves in
mount Ephraim, when they
heard that the
Philistines fled, even they also followed
hard after them in the
battle. 23 So the
LORD saved Israel that
day: and the
battle passed
over unto
Bethaven. 24 And the
men of
Israel were
distressed that
day: for
Saul had
adjured the
people, saying,
Cursed be the
man that
eateth any
food until
evening, that I may be
avenged on mine
enemies. So none of the
people tasted any
food. 25 And all they of the
land came to a
wood; and there was
honey upon the
ground. 26 And when the
people were
come into the
wood, behold, the
honey dropped; but no man
put his
hand to his
mouth: for the
people feared the
oath. 27 But
Jonathan heard not when his
father charged the
people with the
oath: wherefore he put
forth the
end of the
rod that was in his
hand, and
dipped it in an
honeycomb, and
put his
hand to his
mouth; and his
eyes were
enlightened.
28 Then
answered one of the
people, and
said, Thy
father straitly charged the
people with an
oath,
saying,
Cursed be the
man that
eateth any
food this
day. And the
people were
faint.
29 Then
said Jonathan, My
father hath
troubled the
land: see, I pray you, how mine
eyes have been
enlightened, because I
tasted a
little of this
honey. 30 How much
more, if
haply the
people had
eaten freely to
day of the
spoil of their
enemies which they
found? for had there not been now a much
greater slaughter among the
Philistines? 31 And they
smote the
Philistines that
day from
Michmash to
Aijalon: and the
people were
very faint.
32 And the
people flew upon the
spoil, and
took sheep, and
oxen, and
calves, and
slew them on the
ground: and the
people did
eat them with the
blood. 33 Then they
told Saul, saying, Behold, the
people sin against the
LORD, in that they
eat with the
blood. And he
said, Ye have
transgressed:
roll a
great stone unto me this
day. 34 And
Saul said,
Disperse yourselves among the
people, and
say unto them, Bring me
hither every
man his
ox, and every
man his
sheep, and
slay them here, and
eat; and
sin not against the
LORD in
eating with the
blood. And all the
people brought every
man his
ox with
him that
night, and
slew them there.
35 And
Saul built an
altar unto the
LORD: the same was the
first altar that he
built unto the
LORD. 36 And
Saul said, Let us go
down after the
Philistines by
night, and
spoil them until the
morning light, and let us not
leave a
man of them. And they
said,
Do whatsoever
seemeth good unto thee. Then
said the
priest, Let us draw
near hither unto
God. 37 And
Saul asked counsel of
God, Shall I go
down after the
Philistines? wilt thou
deliver them into the
hand of
Israel? But he
answered him not that
day. 38 And
Saul said, Draw ye
near hither, all the
chief of the
people: and
know and
see wherein this
sin hath been this
day. 39 For, as the
LORD liveth, which
saveth Israel, though it
be in
Jonathan my
son, he shall
surely die. But there was not a man among all the
people that
answered him.
40 Then
said he unto all
Israel, Be ye on
one side, and I and
Jonathan my
son will be on the
other side. And the
people said unto
Saul, Do what
seemeth good unto thee.
41 Therefore
Saul said unto the
LORD God of
Israel, Give a
perfect lot. And
Saul and
Jonathan were
taken: but the
people escaped.
42 And
Saul said,
Cast lots between me and
Jonathan my
son. And
Jonathan was
taken.
43 Then
Saul said to
Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast
done. And
Jonathan told him, and
said, I did
but taste a
little honey with the
end of the
rod that was in mine
hand, and,
lo, I must
die.
44 And
Saul answered,
God do
so and more
also: for thou shalt
surely die,
Jonathan. 45 And the
people said unto
Saul, Shall
Jonathan die, who hath
wrought this
great salvation in
Israel? God
forbid: as the
LORD liveth, there shall not one
hair of his
head fall to the
ground; for he hath
wrought with
God this
day. So the
people rescued Jonathan, that he
died not.
46 Then
Saul went
up from
following the
Philistines: and the
Philistines went to their own
place. 47 So
Saul took the
kingdom over
Israel, and
fought against all his
enemies on every
side, against
Moab, and against the
children of
Ammon, and against
Edom, and against the
kings of
Zobah, and against the
Philistines: and whithersoever he
turned himself, he
vexed them.
48 And he
gathered an
host, and
smote the
Amalekites, and
delivered Israel out of the
hands of them that
spoiled them.
49 Now the
sons of
Saul were
Jonathan, and
Ishui, and
Melchishua: and the
names of his
two daughters were these; the
name of the
firstborn Merab, and the
name of the
younger Michal: 50 And the
name of
Saul's wife was
Ahinoam, the
daughter of
Ahimaaz: and the
name of the
captain of his
host was
Abner, the
son of
Ner, Saul's uncle. 51 And
Kish was the
father of
Saul; and
Ner the
father of
Abner was the
son of
Abiel. 52 And there was
sore war against the
Philistines all the
days of
Saul: and when
Saul saw any
strong man, or any
valiant man, he
took him unto him.