1 Samuel 14

2Now Saul had posted himself on the top of the hill, in the pomegranate grove, at Magdon, and there were with him about six hundred men;

3and Achia, son of Achitob, the brother of Jochabed, son of Phineas, son of Eli, was the priest of God at Selom, wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.

4Now in the middle of the passage where Jonathan sought to cross over to the army of the Philistines, there was a point of a rock on this side, and the point of a rock on that, the name of the one was Bases, and the name of the other Senna.

5There was one way on the north for going to Machmas, and another way on the south, for going to Gabaa.

7his armour-bearer said to him, Do whatever thy heart is inclined to; behold I am with thee. As thy heart is, so is mine.

8Then Jonathan said, Behold we are going to cross over to these men, therefore we must shew ourselves before them.

9If they say to us, Stand off there till we tell you, then we must stand where we are, and not go up to them:

10but if they say to us, Come up to us, then let us go up, for the Lord hath delivered them into our hands. This shall be a sign to us.

11So they both went to Messab of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, Behold the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they hid themselves.

13So Jonathan clambered up upon his hands and feet, and his armour-bearer with him; and they turned back at the sight of Jonathan, and he smote them; and his armour-bearer behind him, supplied him.

14Now the first slaughter which Jonathan with his armour-bearer made was about twenty men, with darts, and sling stones, and pebbles picked up from the ground.

15And there was a consternation in the camp, and in the field; and all the people who were in Messab, and they who were spoiling, were struck with horror, and would not do any thing; for the earth trembled, and the consternation was from the Lord.

16And the watchmen of Saul, at Gabaa of Benjamin, looked, and behold the camp was in confusion from one side to the other.

17Whereupon Saul said to the people who were with him, Examine I pray you, and see who is gone from us. And when they examined, behold Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not to be found.

19But while Saul was speaking to the priest, the noise in the camp of the Philistines continued, and grew louder and louder; whereupon Saul said to the priest, Bring together thy hands.

20And Saul went up, and all the people with him, and came to the battle, and behold every man’s sword was against his fellow, and the confusion was very great.

21And the slaves, who had heretofore been with the Philistines, who had come up to the camp, even they turned, and joined the Israelites, who were with Saul and Jonathan.

22And all the Israelites, who had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines were fleeing, collected together, and went after them to battle.

23So the Lord saved Israel that day; and the battle passed through the Bamoth, and all the people with Saul were about ten thousand men; and the battle spread to every city on mount Ephraim.

25Nay, though the forest Jaal abounded with honey, on the face of the ground,

26and the people entered that apiary; yet behold they went on talking, and behold there was not one who put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath of the Lord.

27But Jonathan did not hear when his father adjured the people, therefore he stretched forth the end of the sceptre in his hand, and stuck it into a honeycomb, and when he put his hand to his mouth, his eyes brightened up.

28And one of the people addressing him said, Thy father solemnly adjured the people saying, Cursed be the man who eateth bread this day, so the people are become faint.

29And when Jonathan knew this he said, My father hath troubled the land. See how my eyes have sparkled, because I tasted a little of this honey.

30Consequently, had the people this day eaten freely of the spoils of the enemy, the slaughter among the Philistines would now have been much greater.

32they turned upon the spoils; and when they took sheep, or cattle, or calves, they slew them on the ground, and eat them with the blood.

33And when it was told Saul, saying, The people have sinned against the Lord by eating with the blood, Saul said, Ye of Gethaim, roll for me here a great stone.

34Then Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and order them to bring here every man his ox, and every one his sheep, and kill it on this stone, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. So the people brought every one, what he had at hand and they slaughtered them there.

35And Saul built an altar there to the Lord. This was the first altar which Saul built to the Lord.

37Whereupon Saul consulted God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into the hands of Israel? But he answered him not that day.

38Then Saul said, Present here all the chiefs of Israel, and know and see by whom this sin hath been done this day;

39for as the Lord liveth who hath saved Israel, if the answer be given against Jonathan my son, he shall surely be put to death. But there was not one of the people who answered.

41Then Saul said, O Lord the God of Israel, why hast Thou not answered Thy servant this day? If the fault be in me, or in Jonathan my son, O Lord God of Israel make us manifest. And when he said these words, Give I beseech Thee to Thy people Israel, Give I beseech Thee Sanctity, the lot fell on Jonathan and Saul; and the people escaped.

42Then Saul said, Cast the lot between me, and Jonathan my son, and against whomsoever the Lord shall decide by lot, let him be put to death. But the people said to Saul, This is not confirmed. But Saul prevailed over the people, so they cast the lot between him and his son Jonathan; and the lot fell on Jonathan.

43Thereupon Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me; what hast thou done? And when Jonathan told him, and said, I just tasted a little honey with the end of the sceptre which was in my hand, and behold I must die;

44Saul said to him, God do so to me, and more also, but thou shalt surely die this day.

45Upon this the people said to Saul, Shall he this day be put to death who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? As the Lord liveth there shall not a hair of his head fall to the ground. Because the people of God had that day performed exploits, therefore the people prayed for Jonathan that day, and he did not die.

46Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their place.

48He formed also an army and smote Amelek, and delivered Israel out of the hand of those who had trampled on them.

49Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Jessiou, and Melchisa, and these were the names of his two daughters. The name of his first-born was Merob, and the name of his second Melchol.

50And the name of his wife was Achinoam. She was the daughter of Achimaas. And the name of his captain general was Abenner. He was the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle; for Kis the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abenner, were sons of Jamin, son of Abiel.)