Jonathan Defeats the Philistines
1 Kingdoms 14, verse 1. Now it happened one day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young servant carrying his armor, “Come here! Let us cross over to that other side, into the outpost of the Philistine garrison.” But he did not tell his father of this. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 2. Now Saul sat on the top of the hill under a pomegranate tree on the hill in Migron. There were about six hundred men with him. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 3. And Ahijah the son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod son of Phinehas, son of Eli the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. But the people did not know Jonathan had left. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 4. In the midst of the passage by which Jonathan sought to travel over to the encampment of the Philistines, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other. The name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 5. The one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 6. Then Jonathan said to his young servant carrying his armor, “Come, let us cross over into the outpost of these uncircumcised men, if by chance the Lord will do something for us; for the Lord is not constrained to deliver by the many or by the few.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 7. So his armor-bearer said to him, “Do everything toward which your heart inclines. Behold! I am with you as your heart is my heart.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 8. Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will come down over them from the hill. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 9. If they should say to us, ‘You there, withdraw until we send for you,’ then we will stand by ourselves and will not go up against them. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 10. But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hands. This will be a sign to us.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 11. When both of them went up to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews came out of the holes they dug, where they hid themselves.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 12. Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come against us and we will show you something.” Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after I do, for the Lord has delivered them into the hands of Israel.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 13. Then Jonathan, with his armor-bearer after him, went up on his hands and knees. They looked upon the face of Jonathan, and he struck them. Even his armor-bearer killed them. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 14. This was the first slaughter Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, taking twenty men with arrows and slings and pebbles of the field. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 15. Bewilderment came over the army camp and in the field. All the troops in the garrison, and those being utterly destroyed, were in a state of shock and could not act. The land was astounded, and bewilderment came from the Lord. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 16. Now the watchmen of Saul looked, and behold, from here it was seen that the opposing army was having trouble, and 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 17. Saul said to the people with him, “Number yourselves now and see who has gone out from us.” And they made a roll call, and Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not found. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 18. And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ephod here.” For on that day the ephod was raised up in the presence of Israel. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 19. Now it happened as Saul spoke to the priest, that the noise in the camp of the Philistines became louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hands.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 20. Then Saul and all the people with him cried aloud, and they went into battle. Indeed, every man's sword was against the enemy next to him. There was great confusion. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 21. And the slaves who were with the Philistines before that time and went up with them to the camp changed loyalties and joined the Israelites, along with Saul and Jonathan. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 22. Likewise all the men of Israel hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard the Philistines had fled, followed hard after them in battle. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 23. On that day, the Lord saved Israel. All the troops with Saul were about ten thousand men. The battle itself shifted to Beth Aven, and it extended to all the cities in the mountain of Ephraim.
Saul's Curse
1 Kingdoms 14, verse 24. In ignorance, Saul, unaware of the full extent of what had happened that day, placed the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats food until the evening, and those opposed to me, I will punish.” So none of the people tasted food. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 25. Before this, all the troops had not eaten. And then they came to an oak tree with a beehive nearby on the ground. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 26. As the men approached the beehive, they continued talking, and no one put his hand to his mouth, for they feared the oath to the Lord. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 27. 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. He put his hand to his mouth and his countenance brightened. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 28. Then one of the people answered and said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’” But the people were growing weary, 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 29. and Jonathan knew it, and said, “See indeed, my father has troubled the land, but look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 30. Truly, if the people had freely eaten today from the spoils of their enemies, the slaughter among the Philistines would have been greater.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 31. Now on that day, Saul smote the Philistines in Michmash, but the people were extremely weary. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 32. And the people turned to the spoils and took sheep, oxen, and calves. And they slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 33. This was told Saul, saying, “They have sinned against the Lord by eating with the blood!” So Saul said, “Roll a large stone to me here out of Gethem.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 34. And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Everyone bring his ox and his sheep here and slaughter them here on this stone. Then eat, but do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So each of the people brought what was in his hand, and they slaughtered them there. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 35. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar he built to the Lord. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 36. And Saul said, “Let us go down against the Philistines by night and plunder them until dawn. Let us not leave a man among them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you. Then the priest said, “Come here; let us draw near to God.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 37. So Saul asked God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hands of Israel?” But He did not answer him on that day. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 38. And Saul said, “Bring here all the chiefs of Israel, and know and see today by whom this sin came to be. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 39. As the Lord lives who saved Israel, if the answer should be against Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” And from among all the people no answer was given by anyone. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 40. Then Saul said to all Israel, “You may be bound, or I and my son Jonathan may be bound.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 41. Saul then said to the Lord God of Israel, “Why did you not answer your servant today? O Lord God of Israel, if there is wrongdoing in me or in Jonathan my son, give clarity. And if you say this, give mercy to your people Israel.” So Saul and Jonathan were designated by lot, and the people escaped. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 42. Then Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. Whoever the Lord designates by lot, let him die.” But the people said to Saul, “This is not the right thing to do.” But Saul prevailed over the people, and they cast lots between him and Jonathan his son. Jonathan was appointed by lot. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 43. Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you did.” And Jonathan told him, saying, “I was tasting a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. Behold! I must die!” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 44. So Saul said to him, “May God do the same to me, and more also, for you shall die today.” 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 45. But the people said to Saul, “Should he who brought this great deliverance in Israel die? As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head should fall to the ground, for the people of God prevailed on that day.” In this way, the people interceded for Jonathan that day, and he did not die. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 46. Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
The Royal Family
1 Kingdoms 14, verse 47. Now Saul accepted his portion of the work for Israel, and waged war round about on all his enemies: against Moab, against the sons of Ammon, against the sons of Edom, against Betheor, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he was victorious. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 48. And he gathered an army and smote the Amalekites and delivered Israel from out of the hands of those despising him. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 49. The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Jishui, and Malchishua. The name of his firstborn daughter was Merab, and the name of the younger was Michal. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 50. The name of his wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, of the house of Saul. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 51. Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Jamin, the son of Abiel. 1 Kingdoms 14, verse 52. Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he gathered him for himself.