1Samuel:14

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* Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor , "Come , let us go over to the Philistines ' garrison that is on the other side ." But he did not tell his father . * And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron . The people who were with him were about six hundred men . * Ahijah the son of Ahitub , Ichabod 's brother , the son of Phinehas , the son of Eli , the LORD 's priest in Shiloh , was wearing an ephod . But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone . * Between the passes , by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines ' garrison , there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side . And the name of one was Bozez , and the name of the other Seneh . * The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash , and the other southward opposite Gibeah . * Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor , "Come , let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ; it may be that the LORD will work for us . For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few ." * So his armorbearer said to him , "Do all that is in your heart . Go then ; here I am with you , according to your heart ." * Then Jonathan said , "Very well , let us cross over to these men , and we will show ourselves to them . * If they say thus to us , "Wait until we come to you ,' then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them . * But if they say thus , "Come up to us ,' then we will go up . For the LORD has delivered them into our hand , and this will be a sign to us ." * So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines . And the Philistines said , "Look , the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden ." * Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer , and said , "Come up to us , and we will show you something ." Jonathan said to his armorbearer , "Come up after me , for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel ." * And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him ; and they fell before Jonathan . And as he came after him , his armorbearer killed them . * That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land . * And there was trembling in the camp , in the field , and among all the people . The garrison and the raiders also trembled ; and the earth quaked , so that it was a very great trembling . * Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked , and there was the multitude , melting away ; and they went here and there . * Then Saul said to the people who were with him , "Now call the roll and see who has gone from us ." And when they had called the roll , surprisingly , Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there . * And Saul said to Ahijah , "Bring the ark of God here " (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel ). * Now it happened , while Saul talked to the priest , that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase ; so Saul said to the priest , "Withdraw your hand ." * Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled , and they went to the battle ; and indeed every man 's sword was against his neighbor , and there was very great confusion . * Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time , who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country , they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan . * Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim , when they heard that the Philistines fled , they also followed hard after them in the battle . * So the LORD saved Israel that day , and the battle shifted to Beth Aven . * And the men of Israel were distressed that day , for Saul had placed the people under oath , saying , "Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening , before I have taken vengeance on my enemies ." So none of the people tasted food . * Now all the people of the land came to a forest ; and there was honey on the ground . * And when the people had come into the woods , there was the honey , dripping ; but no one put his hand to his mouth , for the people feared the oath . * But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath ; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb , and put his hand to his mouth ; and his countenance brightened . * Then one of the people said , "Your father strictly charged the people with an oath , saying , "Cursed is the man who eats food this day ."' And the people were faint . * But Jonathan said , "My father has troubled the land . Look now , how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey . * How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found ! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines ?" * Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon . So the people were very faint . * And the people rushed on the spoil , and took sheep , oxen , and calves , and slaughtered them on the ground ; and the people ate them with the blood . * Then they told Saul , saying , "Look , the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood !" So he said , "You have dealt treacherously ; roll a large stone to me this day ." * Then Saul said , "Disperse yourselves among the people , and say to them , "Bring me here every man 's ox and every man 's sheep , slaughter them here , and eat ; and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood ."' So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night , and slaughtered it there . * Then Saul built an altar to the LORD . This was the first altar that he built to the LORD . * Now Saul said , "Let us go down after the Philistines by night , and plunder them until the morning light ; and let us not leave a man of them ." And they said , "Do whatever seems good to you ." Then the priest said , "Let us draw near to God here ." * So Saul asked counsel of God , "Shall I go down after the Philistines ? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel ?" But He did not answer him that day . * And Saul said , "Come over here , all you chiefs of the people , and know and see what this sin was today . * For as the LORD lives , who saves Israel , though it be in Jonathan my son , he shall surely die ." But not a man among all the people answered him . * Then he said to all Israel , "You be on one side , and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side ." And the people said to Saul , "Do what seems good to you ." * Therefore Saul said to the LORD God of Israel , "Give a perfect lot ." So Saul and Jonathan were taken , but the people escaped . * And Saul said , "Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me ." So Jonathan was taken . * Then Saul said to Jonathan , "Tell me what you have done ." And Jonathan told him , and said , "I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand . So now I must die !" * Saul answered , "God do so and more also ; for you shall surely die , Jonathan ." * But the people said to Saul , "Shall Jonathan die , who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel ? Certainly not ! As the LORD lives , not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground , for he has worked with God this day ." So the people rescued Jonathan , and he did not die . * Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines , and the Philistines went to their own place . * So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel , and fought against all his enemies on every side , against Moab , against the people of Ammon , against Edom , against the kings of Zobah , and against the Philistines . Wherever he turned , he harassed them . * And he gathered an army and attacked the Amalekites , and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them . * The sons of Saul were Jonathan , Jishui , and Malchishua . And the names of his two daughters were these : the name of the firstborn Merab , and the name of the younger Michal . * The name of Saul 's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz . And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner , Saul 's uncle . * Kish was the father of Saul , and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel . * Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul . And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man , he took him for himself .

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