The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Samuel 14
1 Now it happened on a day that
Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young
man who bore his armor, “Come! Let’s go
over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on
the other side.” But he didn’t tell his father.
2 Saul stayed in the uttermost part of
Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which
is in Migron; and the people who were
with him were about six hundred men,
3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the
son of Eli the priest of Yahweh in Shiloh,
wearing an ephod. The people didn’t know
that Jonathan was gone.
4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan
sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side
and a rocky crag on the other side; and the
name of the one was Bozez, and the name
of the other Seneh.
5 The one crag rose up on the north in
front of Michmash, and the other on the
south in front of Geba.
6 Jonathan said to the young man who
bore his armor, “Come! Let’s go over to the
garrison ofthese uncircumcised. It may be
that Yahweh will work for us, for there is
no restraint on Yahweh to save by many or
by few.”
7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do all
that is in your heart. Go, and behold, I am
with you according to your heart.”
8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will
pass over to the men, and we will reveal
ourselves to them.
9 If they say this to us, ‘Wait until we
come to you!’ then we will stand still in our
place and will not go up to them.
10 But if they say this, ‘Come up to us!’
then we will go up, for Yahweh has delivered them into our hand. This shall be the
sign to us.”
11 Both of them revealed themselves to
the garrison of the Philistines; and the
Philistines said, “Behold, the Hebrews are
coming out of the holes where they had
hidden themselves!”
12 The men of the garrison answered
Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said,
“Come up to us, and we will show you
something!”
Jonathan said to his armor bearer,
“Come up after me, for Yahweh has
delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
13 Jonathan climbed up on his hands and
on his feet, and his armor bearer after
him, and they fell before Jonathan; and his
armor bearer killed them after him.
14 That first slaughter, which Jonathan
and his armor bearer made, was about
twenty men, within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land.
15 There was a trembling in the camp,
in the field, and among all the people; the
garrison and the raiders also trembled;
and the earth quaked, so there was an
exceedingly great trembling.
16 The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of
Benjamin looked; and behold, the multitude melted away and scattered.
17 Then Saul said to the people who were
with him, “Count now, and see who is
missing from us.” When they had counted,
behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer
were not there.
18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring God’s ark
here.” For God’s ark was with the children
of Israel at that time.
19 While Saul talked to the priest, the tumultthat was in the camp ofthe Philistines
went onandincreased; andSaul saidto the
priest, “Withdraw your hand!”
20 Saul and all the people who were with
him were gathered together, and came to
the battle; and behold, they were all striking each other with their swords in very
great confusion.
21 Now the Hebrews who were with the
Philistines before and who went up with
them into the camp from all around, even
they also turned to be with the Israelites
who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22 Likewise all the men of Israel who
had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the
Philistines fled, even they also followed
hard after them in the battle.
23 So Yahweh saved Israel that day; and
the battle passed over by Beth Aven.
24 The men of Israel were distressed that
day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food
until it is evening, and I am avenged of
my enemies.” So none of the people tasted
food.
25 Allthepeople came into the forest; and
there was honey on the ground.
26 When the people had come to the forest, behold, honey was dripping, but no
one put his hand to his mouth, for the
people feared the oath.
27 But Jonathan didn’t hear when his father commanded the people with the oath.
Therefore he put outthe end ofthe rod that
was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and
his eyes brightened.
28 Then one of the people answered, and
said, “Your father directly commanded the
people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the
man who eats food today.’ ” So the people
were faint.
29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has
troubledthe land. Please lookhowmy eyes
have brightened because I tasted a little of
this honey.
30 Howmuchmore, ifperhaps thepeople
had eaten freely today of the plunder of
their enemies which they found? For now
there has been no great slaughter among
the Philistines.”
31 They struck the Philistines that day
from Michmash to Aijalon. The people
were very faint;
32 and the people pounced on the plunder, and took sheep, cattle, and calves, and
killed them on the ground; and the people
ate them with the blood.
33 Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold,
the people are sinning against Yahweh, in
that they eat meat with the blood.”
He said, “You have dealt treacherously.
Roll a large stone to me today!”
34 Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among
the people, and tellthem, ‘Everymanbring
me here his ox, and every man his sheep,
and kill them here, and eat; and don’t sin
against Yahweh in eating meat with the
blood.’ ” All the people brought every man
his ox with him that night, and killed them
there.
35 Saul built an altar to Yahweh. This was
the first altar that he built to Yahweh.
36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the
Philistines by night, and take plunder
among them until the morning light. Let’s
not leave a man of them.”
They said, “Do whatever seems good to
you.”
Then the priest said, “Let’s draw near
here to God.”
37 Saul asked counsel of God: “Shall I
go down after the Philistines? Will you
deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But
he didn’t answer him that day.
38 Saul said, “Draw near here, all you
chiefs of the people, and know and see in
whom this sin has been today.
39 For as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel,
though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall
surely die.” But there was not a man
among all the people who answered him.
40 Then he said to all Israel, “You be on
one side, and I and Jonathan my son will
be on the other side.”
The people said to Saul, “Do what seems
good to you.”
41 Therefore Saul said to Yahweh, the
God of Israel, “Show the right.”
Jonathan and Saul were chosen, but the
people escaped.
42 Saul said, “Cast lots between me and
Jonathan my son.”
Jonathan was selected.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me
what you have done!”
Jonathan told him, and said, “I certainly
did taste a little honey with the end of the
rod that was in my hand; and behold, I
must die.”
44 Saul said, “God do so and more also;
for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
45 The people said to Saul, “Shall
Jonathan die, who has worked this great
salvation in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh
lives, there shall not one hair of his head
fall to the ground, for he has worked
with God today!” So the people rescued
Jonathan, so he didn’t die.
46 Then Saul went up from following
the Philistines; and the Philistines went to
their own place.
47 Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he 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. Wherever he turned himself, he defeated them.
48 He did valiantly and struck the
Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the
hands of those who plundered them.
49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan,
Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of
his two daughters were these: the name of
the firstborn Merab, and the name of the
younger Michal.
50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam
the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of
Ner, Saul’s uncle.
51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner
the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52 There was severe war against the
Philistines all the days of Saul; and when
Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant
man, he took him into his service.