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Chapter 14 |
| 1 | Now it came to
pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that
bare his armor, 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;
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| 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 armor, 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. |
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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 show you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come
up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
