1 Samuel 14

And a day comes, and Ionathan son of Saul said to the lad who bore his armour, Come, and let us cross over to the messab of the Philistines that is on that other side. But he did not tell his father.

And Saul was sitting at the edge of the hill under the pomegranate tree that is in Magdon; and with him were about six hundred men.

And Achia son of Achitob, brother of Iochabed, son of Phinees, son of Eli, was the priest of God in Selom, bearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Ionathan had gone.

And in the midst of the passage where Ionathan sought to cross over to the garrison of the Philistines, there was a rocky crag on this side and a rocky crag on that side; the name of the one was Bazes and the name of the other Senna.

The one way was from the north for one coming to Machmas, and the other way from the south for one coming to Gabee.

And Ionathan said to the lad who bore his armour, Come, let us cross over to the messab of these uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will do something for us, for there is nothing that constrains the Lord to save by many or by few.

And the one who bore his armour said to him, Do all that your heart inclines to; behold, I am with you; as your heart is, so is my heart.

And Ionathan said, Behold, we are crossing over to the men, and we will roll ourselves down toward them.

If they say this to us, Stand still there until we report to you, then we will stand in our place and will not go up against them.

But if they say this to us, Come up to us, then we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hands; this shall be the sign to us.

And they both entered the messab of the Philistines, and the Philistines say, Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of their holes where they hid themselves.

And the men of the messab answered Ionathan and the one who bore his armour, and they say, Come up to us, and we will make known to you a thing. And Ionathan said to the one who bore his armour, Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hands of Israel.

And Ionathan went up on his hands and on his feet, and the one who bore his armour with him; and they looked upon the face of Ionathan, and he struck them, and the one who bore his armour kept following up behind him.

And the first slaughter which Ionathan and the one who bore his armour made was about twenty men, with darts and with sling-stones and with the flints of the plain.

And there was an ecstasy in the camp and in the field; and all the people, those in the messab and the raiders, were amazed, and they themselves were unwilling to act; and the land was astounded, and there came an ecstasy from the Lord.

And the watchmen of Saul in Gabee of Beniamin saw, and behold, the camp was thrown into confusion this way and that.

And Saul said to the people who were with him, Muster now and see who has gone from among you. And they mustered, and behold, Ionathan and the one who bore his armour were not found.

And Saul said to Achia, Bring near the ephod; for he was bearing the ephod on that day before Israel.

And it came to pass, while Saul was speaking to the priest, that the noise in the camp of the Philistines went on increasing and grew greater; and Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hands.

And Saul cried out, and all the people who were with him, and they come to the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his neighbour, a very great confusion.

And the slaves who had been with the Philistines previously, who had gone up with them into the camp, turned about, and they too were with Israel, with those who were with Saul and Ionathan.

And all Israel, those hiding in the mount of Ephraim, also heard that the Philistines had fled, and they too joined close behind them in the battle.

And the Lord saved Israel in that day; and the battle passed over Baithon, and all the people were with Saul, about ten thousand men, and the battle was scattered throughout the whole city in Mount Ephraim.

And Saul committed a great error of ignorance in that day, and he curses the people, saying, Cursed is the man who eats bread until evening, and I will avenge myself on my enemy. And none of all the people tasted bread.

And all the land was taking its meal; and Iaar was a forest of a beehive before the face of the field.

And the people entered into the beehive, and behold, they went along speaking; and behold, there was no one turning his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath of the Lord.

But Jonathan had not heard when his father adjured the people; and he stretched out the tip of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and returned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes recovered their sight.

And one of the people answered and said, Your father solemnly adjured the people, saying, Cursed is the man who eats bread today. And the people were faint.

And Jonathan knew it and said, My father has ruined the land. See now that my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

How much more, if the people had indeed eaten today of the spoils of their enemies which they found, would the slaughter among the Philistines now have been greater!

And on that day he struck some of the Philistines in Machemas, and the people were exceedingly weary.

And the people rushed upon the spoils, and the people took flocks and herds and calves of oxen, and slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate with the blood.

And it was reported to Saul, saying, The people have sinned against the Lord by eating with the blood. And Saul said, In Getthem roll me a great stone here.

And Saul said, Scatter among the people and say to them to bring here each man his calf and each man his sheep, and let him slaughter upon this stone; and you shall not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. And all the people brought, each what was in his hand, and they slaughtered there.

And Saul built there an altar to the Lord; this Saul began to build as an altar to the Lord.

And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder among them until the day dawns, and let us not leave a man among them. And they said, Do all that is good in your sight. And the priest said, Let us draw near here to God.

And Saul inquired of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hands of Israel? But he did not answer him in that day.

And Saul said, Bring here all the corners of Israel, and know and see by whom this sin has come about today.

For as the Lord lives who saved Israel, even if the answer falls against Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. And there was none among all the people who answered.

And he said to all Israel, You shall be for servitude, and I and Jonathan my son will be for servitude. And the people said to Saul, Do what is good in your sight.

And Saul said, O Lord God of Israel, why is it that you have not answered your servant today? If the iniquity is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord God of Israel, give clear signs; and if you should say thus, It is in your people Israel, give holiness. And Jonathan and Saul are taken by lot, and the people went out.

And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son; whomever the Lord takes by lot, let him die. And the people said to Saul, This thing shall not be. And Saul prevailed over the people, and they cast lots between him and Jonathan his son, and Jonathan is taken by lot.

And Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan told him and said, I did indeed taste a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand; behold, I am dying.

And Saul said to him, May God do so to me and more also, for you shall surely die today.

And the people said to Saul, Shall he die today who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? As the Lord lives, not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for the people of God has wrought this day. And the people prayed for Jonathan in that day, and he did not die.

And Saul went up from following after the Philistines, and the Philistines departed to their own place.

And Saul was taken by lot for the work over Israel, and he made war round about against all his enemies: against Moab and against the sons of Ammon and against the sons of Edom and against Baitheor and against the king of Souba and against the Philistines; wherever he turned, he was delivered.

And he did valiantly and struck Amalek, and delivered Israel out of the hand of those who trampled him.

And the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Iessiou and Melchisa; and the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn was Merob, and the name of the second Melchol.

And the name of his wife was Achinoom, daughter of Achimaas; and the name of his commander-in-chief was Abenner, son of Ner, son of a kinsman of Saul.

And Kis the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abenner, were sons of Iamin son of Abiel.

And the war was fierce against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man and any man who was a son of valour, he gathered them to himself.