1 Samuel 14:1-52 And it fortuned the same tyme, that Ionathas the sonne of Saul sayd vnto hys younge man that bare hys harnes: come, and let vs go ouer to the Philistines watche that are younder on the other syde, and he tolde not his father.

Great⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ And it fortuned the same tyme, that Ionathas the sonne of Saul sayd vnto hys younge man that bare hys harnes: come, and let vs go ouer to the Philistines watche that are younder on the other syde, and he tolde not his father. ² And Saul taryed in the vttmost parte of Gibea vnder Rimmon, whych is in Migron, & the people that were wyth him were vpon a syxe hundred men. ³ And Ahia the sonne of Ahitob Iehabods brother, the sonne of Phinehes, the sonne of Eli, was the Lordes preaste in Silo, & ware an Ephod. And the people wyst not that Ionathas was gone. ⁴ And in the myddes of the passage (by which Ionathas sought to go ouer vnto the Philistines watch) were there two sharpe rockes euen one on the one syde, & the other on the other syde: the one called Bozez, & the other Senne. ⁵ The forefront of the one, leaned northwarde towarde Michmas, & the other was southwarde, towarde Gibea: ⁶ And Ionathas sayd to the younge man that bare his harnesse: come and let vs go ouer vnto the watch of these vncircumcised, paraduenture the Lorde will worke wt vs: for it is no hardnesse wt the Lord to saue ether in manye or in fewe. ⁷ And his harnesberar sayde vnto him: do all that is in thyne hert: Go where it pleaseth the: Behold, I am wt the, as thine hert lusteth. ⁸ Then sayde Ionathas: beholde, we go ouer vnto these men, & shall shew oure selues vnto them: ⁹ yf they saye on this wise to vs: tarye, vntill we come to you, then we will stande stil in or place, & not go vp vnto them. ¹⁰ But & yf they saye: come vp vnto vs, then we will go vp, for the Lorde hath delyuered them into oure handes And thys shalbe a sygne vnto vs. ¹¹ And they bothe shewed them selues vnto the watch of the Philistines. And the Philistines sayde: se, the Hebrues come out of the holes where they had hydd them selues in. ¹² And the men of the watche answered Ionathas and his harnesbearer, & sayde, come vp to vs, and we will shew you a thinge. And Ionathas sayde vnto his harnesbearer, come vp after me, for the Lord hath delyuered them into the hande of Israel. ¹³ And Ionathas clame vp vpon handes & fete, & his harnesberer after him. And they fell before Ionathas: & his harnesberer slue them after hym. ¹⁴ And that first slaughter which Ionathas and his harnesberer made, was vpon a twentie men, within the compasse as it were about an halfe aker of lande. ¹⁵ And ther was a feare in the host, in the felde, & amonge all people: in so moche that they that were gone out of the watche to robbe, were afrayde also: and the erth trymbled, for the feare that was sent of God. ¹⁶ And the watche men of Saul in Gibea Ben Iamin, sawe. And beholde, the people (of the Philistines) were skatered & were smytten as they went. ¹⁷ Then sayde Saul vnto the people that was with him. Searche and se, who is gone awaye from vs. And when they had nombred, beholde, Ionathas & hys harnesbearer were not there. ¹⁸ And Saul sayde vnto Ahia: bringe hither the arcke of God. For the arcke of God was at that tyme wyth the chyldren of Israel. ¹⁹ And it fortuned that while Saul talked vnto the preaste, the noyse that was in the hoste of the Philistines spred farther abrode, & increased. And Saul sayde vnto the preaste: wt drawe thyne handes. ²⁰ And Saul ioyned hymselfe vnto all the people that were with him, & they came to the battell. And beholde euery mannes swerde was agaynst his felowe, and there was a very greate rumore. ²¹ Moreouer, the Ebrues that were wyth the Philistines before that tyme, and were come with them in all partes of the hoste, turned, to be with the Israelites that were wyth Saul & Ionathas. ²² And all the men of Israel also, which had hidd them selues in mount Ephraim, as sone as they hearde howe that the Philistines were fledd, they folowed after them in the battell. ²³ And so God holpe Israel that daye. And the battell continued vnto Bethauen. ²⁴ And whyle the men of Israel were kepte downe wyth honger that daye, Saul charged the people with an ooth sayinge: Cursed be the man that eateth any foode vntyll nyght, tyll I be aduenged of myne enemyes: And so, none of the people tasted any sustinaunce. ²⁵ And all the inhabiters of the lande came to a wood where honye laye vpon the grounde. ²⁶ And the people came into the wood: And beholde, the honye dropped, and no man moued hys hande to his mouth, for the people feared the ooth. ²⁷ But Ionathas hearde not when hys father charged the people with the ooth, wherfore he put forth the ende of the rodd that was in his hande, and dipt it in an honye combe, & put his hande to his mouth, and his eyes receaued syght. ²⁸ Then answered one of the people and sayde: thy father adiured the people, sayinge: Cursed be the man that eateth any sustinaunce this daye, & the people were fayntye. ²⁹ Then sayde Ionathas: my father hath troubled the lande: se howe myne eyes hath receaued syght, because I tasted a lytle of this honye: ³⁰ howe much more then to daye yf the people had eaten of the spoyle of their enemyes whych they founde. And had there not bene then a moche greater slaughter amonge the Philistines? ³¹ And they layed on the Philistines that daye, from Michmas to Atalon. And the people were excedinge fayntie. ³² And the people gat them to the spoyle, & toke shepe, oxen, & calues, & slue them on the grounde, & the people dyd eate them wt the bloude. ³³ Then men tolde Saul, sayinge: Beholde, the people synne agaynst the Lord, in that they eate with the bloude. And he sayde: ye haue trespaced. Rowle a great stone vnto me this daye, ³⁴ and Saul sayde agayne: Go abroade amonge the people & bydd them brynge me euery man his oxe & euery man his shepe, and slaye them here, and synne not agaynst the Lorde in eatynge wt the bloude. And the people brought euery man hys oxe in his hande, by nyght, & slue them there. ³⁵ And Saul made an altare vnto the Lorde. And that was the fyrst altare that he made vnto the Lorde. ³⁶ And Saul sayde: lett vs go downe after the Philistines by nyght and spoyle them, vntyll it be daye in the mornynge, & lett vs not leaue one man of them. And they sayd: do whatsoeuer thou thinkest best. Then sayde the preast: lett vs come hither vnto God. ³⁷ And Saul asked of God: shall I go downe after the Philistines? Wilt thou delyuer them into the handes of Israel? But he answered him not at that tyme. ³⁸ And Saul sayde: let the people come hyther out of all quarters, and knowe & se by whom thys synne is chaunced this daye: ³⁹ for as truly as the Lorde lyueth which saueth Israel, though it be in Ionathas my sonne, he shall dye the death. But there was no man amonge all the people that answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he sayde vnto all Israel: be ye on one syde, and I & Ionathas my sonne wilbe on the other syde. And the people sayde vnto Saul: what thou thynkest best, that do. ⁴¹ Therfore Saul sayde vnto the Lorde God of Israel: geue a perfect lott. And Saul & Ionathas were caught, but the people skaped free. ⁴² And Saul sayde, cast lottes betwene me & Ionathas my sonne. And Ionathas was caught. ⁴³ Then Saul sayde to Ionathas: tell me what thou hast done. And Ionathas tolde him, & sayde. I tasted a lytle honye with the ende of the rodd that was in myne hande: and lo, I must dye. ⁴⁴ Saul answered: God do so and so to me, thou shalt dye the death Ionathas. ⁴⁵ And the people sayde vnto Saul: shall Ionathas dye, which hath so myghtelye helped Israel? God forbyd. As truly as the Lorde lyueth there shall not one heere of hys heed fall to the grounde: for he hath wrought with God thys daye. And so the people delyuered Ionathas, that he dyed not. ⁴⁶ And then Saul departed vp from folowinge the Philistines. And the Philistines went to their awne place. ⁴⁷ And so Saul helde the kyngdome ouer Israel, & fought agaynst all his enemyes on euery syde: agaynst Moab: agaynst the chyldren of Ammon: agaynst Edom: agaynst the kynges of Zoba, and agaynst the Philistines. And whether so euer he turned him selfe, there he wanne: ⁴⁸ and he gathered his host together, and smote the Amaleckites, & rydd Israel out of the handes of them that spoyled them. ⁴⁹ The sonnes of Saul were: Ionathas, Iesui, and Melchisua. And hys two daughters were thus named: the elder was called Merob, and the younger Michol. ⁵⁰ And the name of Saules wife, was Ahinoa the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of hys chefe captayne was Abner the sonne of Ner, Saules vncle. ⁵¹ And Cis was Sauls father. And Ner the father of Abner was the sonne of Abiel. ⁵² And there was sore warre agaynst the Philistines, all the dayes of Saul. And whomsoeuer Saul sawe to be a stronge man, and mete for the warre he toke him vnto him.