1One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armour, "Come, let us go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his father.
2Saul was staying at the far edge of Gibeah, under a pomegranate tree in Migron. The men with him were about six hundred.
3Ahiah was there wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4Between the passes by which Jonathan tried to cross over to the Philistine outpost there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other. One was named Bozez, and the other Seneh.
5One rock stood on the north, facing Michmash, and the other on the south, facing Gibeah.
6Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armour, "Come, let us go over to the outpost of these men who are not circumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us. Nothing can stop the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."
7His armour-bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go ahead; look, I am with you, whatever you decide."
8Then Jonathan said, "Look, we will cross over to these men and let them see us."
9"If they say to us, 'Wait until we come to you,' then we will stand still where we are and not go up to them."
10"But if they say, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up. For the LORD has given them into our hand. This will be the sign to us."
11So they both let the Philistine outpost see them. The Philistines said, "Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they hid themselves."
12The men of the outpost called out to Jonathan and his armour-bearer, "Come up to us, and we will show you something." Jonathan said to his armour-bearer, "Climb up after me, for the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel."
13Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armour-bearer came after him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armour-bearer killed them as he followed behind.
14In that first attack Jonathan and his armour-bearer killed about twenty men, in an area of about half an acre of land, the size a pair of oxen might plough.
15There was terror in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The outpost and the raiding parties trembled too, and the earth shook. It was a very great terror.
16Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and they saw the crowd melting away and running in every direction, striking one another down.
17Then Saul said to the people with him, "Count the men, and see who has gone from us." When they had counted, Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not there.
18Saul said to Ahiah, "Bring the ark of God here." For at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel.
19While Saul was speaking to the priest, the noise in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, "Take back your hand."
20Then Saul and all the people with him gathered together and went into the battle. And look, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
21The Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that, and had gone up with them into the camp from the country round about, now turned and joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22In the same way all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were running away, and they also chased hard after them in the battle.
23So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the fighting spread as far as Bethaven.
24The men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had put the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats any food before evening, until I have paid back my enemies." So none of the people tasted any food.
25All the people came into a wood, and there was honey on the ground.
26When the people came into the wood, they saw the honey dripping, but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people were afraid of the oath.
27But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth. And his eyes brightened.
28Then one of the people said, "Your father put the people under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man who eats any food today.'" And the people were faint.
29Then Jonathan said, "My father has brought trouble on the land. See how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey."
30"How much better it would have been if the people had eaten freely today from the goods they took from their enemies. Would there not then have been a far greater slaughter among the Philistines?"
31That day they struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very faint.
32So the people rushed on the goods they had taken. They took sheep, oxen and calves, killed them on the ground, and ate them with the blood.
33Then they told Saul, "Look, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood." He said, "You have broken the law. Roll a great stone to me today."
34Saul said, "Go among the people and tell them, 'Every man must bring me his ox and his sheep, and kill them here, and eat. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood.'" So that night every one of the people brought his ox with him and killed it there.
35And Saul built an altar to the LORD. That was the first altar he built to the LORD.
36Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night. Let us plunder them until morning light, and leave not one of them alive." They said, "Do whatever seems good to you." Then the priest said, "Let us come near to God here."
37So Saul asked God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But God did not answer him that day.
38Saul said, "Come here, all you leaders of the people. Find out and see how this sin has happened today."
39"As surely as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But not one man among all the people answered him.
40Then he said to all Israel, "You stand on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will stand on the other side." And the people said to Saul, "Do what seems good to you."
41So Saul said to the LORD God of Israel, "Give a perfect lot." And Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people went free.
43Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." Jonathan told him, "I only tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I must die."
45But the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has brought this great salvation to Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today." So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.
46Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines went back to their own place.
47So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and he fought against all his enemies on every side: against Moab, against the children of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he punished them.
48He gathered an army and struck down the Amalekites, and he rescued Israel from the hands of those who robbed them.
49The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishui and Melchishua. The names of his two daughters were these: the firstborn was Merab, and the younger was Michal.
50The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle.
51Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52There was hard war against the Philistines all the days of Saul. Whenever Saul saw any strong man or any brave man, he took him into his service.