¹Now it happened on a day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armour , “Come ! Let ’s go over to the Philistines ’ garrison that is on the other side .” But he didn’t tell his father .

²Saul 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 ,

³including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas , the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh , wearing an ephod. The people didn’t know that Jonathan was gone .

⁴Between 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 .

⁵The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash , and the other on the south in front of Geba .

⁶Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armour , “Come ! Let ’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised . It may be that the LORD will work for us , for there is no restraint on the LORD to save by many or by few .”

⁷His armour bearer said to him , “Do all that is in your heart . Go, and behold , I am with you according to your heart .”

⁸Then Jonathan said, “Behold , we will pass over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them .

⁹If 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 .

¹⁰But if they say this , ‘Come up to us !’ then we will go up , for the LORD has delivered them into our hand . This shall be the sign to us .”

¹¹Both 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 !”

¹²The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armour bearer , and said , “Come up to us , and we will show you something !”

Jonathan said to his armour bearer , “Come up after me , for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel .”

¹³Jonathan climbed up on his hands and on his feet , and his armour bearer after him , and they fell before Jonathan ; and his armour bearer killed them after him .

¹⁴That first slaughter , which Jonathan and his armour bearer made , was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow ’s length in an acre of land .

¹⁵There was a trembling in the camp , in the field , and amongst all the people ; the garrison and the raiders also trembled ; and the earth quaked , so there was an exceedingly great trembling .

¹⁶The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked ; and behold , the multitude melted away and scattered.

¹⁷Then 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 armour bearer were not there .

¹⁸Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring God’s ark here .” For God’s ark was with the children of Israel at that time .

¹⁹While Saul talked to the priest , the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased ; and Saul said to the priest , “Withdraw your hand !”

²⁰Saul 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 .

²¹Now 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 .

²²Likewise 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 .

²³So the LORD saved Israel that day ; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.

²⁴The 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 .

²⁵All the people came into the forest ; and there was honey on the ground .

²⁶When 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 .

²⁷But Jonathan didn’t hear when his father commanded the people with the oath . Therefore he put out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb , and put his hand to his mouth ; and his eyes brightened.

²⁸Then 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 .

²⁹Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey .

³⁰How much more , if perhaps the people had eaten freely today of the plunder of their enemies which they found ? For now there has been no great slaughter amongst the Philistines .”

³¹They struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint ;

³²and 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 .

³³Then they told Saul , saying, “Behold , the people are sinning against the LORD , in that they eat meat with the blood .”

He said, “You have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today !”

³⁴Saul said, “Disperse yourselves amongst the people , and tell them , ‘Every man bring me here his ox , and every man his sheep , and kill them here , and eat; and don’t sin against the LORD in eating meat with the blood .’” All the people brought every man his ox with him that night , and killed them there .

³⁵Saul built an altar to the LORD . This was the first altar that he built to the LORD .

³⁶Saul said, “Let ’s go down after the Philistines by night , and take plunder amongst 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 .”

³⁷Saul 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 .

³⁸Saul said, “Draw near here , all you chiefs of the people , and know and see in whom this sin has been today .

³⁹For as the LORD lives , who saves Israel , though it is in Jonathan my son , he shall surely die .” But there was not a man amongst all the people who answered him .

⁴⁰Then 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 .”

⁴¹Therefore Saul said to the LORD , the God of Israel , “Show the right .”

Jonathan and Saul were chosen, but the people escaped .

⁴²Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son .”

Jonathan was selected.

⁴³Then 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 .”

⁴⁴Saul said, “God do so and more also ; for you shall surely die , Jonathan .”

⁴⁵The people said to Saul , “Shall Jonathan die , who has worked this great salvation in Israel ? Far from it ! As the LORD 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 .

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

⁴⁷Now 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 .

⁴⁸He did valiantly and struck the Amalekites , and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them .

⁴⁹Now 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 .

⁵⁰The 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 .

⁵¹Kish was the father of Saul , and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

⁵²There 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.