1 Samuel 14:10-52

Matthew(i) 10 But & yf they so saye vnto vs: come vp vnto vs, then we wyl go vp, for the Lorde hath deliuered them into oure handes. And thys shalbe a sygne vnto vs. 11 And when they had bothe shewed them selues vnto the garison of the Philistines, the Philistines sayd: se the Ebrewes come out of the holes where thei had hidde them selues in. 12 And the men of the garison answered Ionathas & hys harnesbearer & sayde: come vp to vs, & we wyl shew you a thyng. Then sayd Ionathas vnto hys harnesbearer: come vp after me, for the Lord hath delyuered them into the handes of Israel. 13 And Ionathas clame vpon handes & fete, & hys harnesbearer after him. Then they fel before Ionathas, & his harnesbearer slue them after him. 14 And that fyrst slaughter which Ionathas and hys harnesbearer made was vpon a twentye men, within the compasse as it were about an halfe aker of land. 15 And there was a fear in the host that was in the felde, & among all the people: in so much that they that kept the hold and they that were gone to robbe, were afrayde also, and the earthe trymbled, and there was a feare sente of God. 16 And the watche men of Saule in Gabaah Beniamin sawe. And beholde, the people skatered and ranne hyther and thyther. 17 Then sayde Saule vnto the people that was with him: nombre and se who is gone awaye from vs. And when they had tolde: beholde, Ionathas & his harnesbearer were not there. 18 And then Saul sayd vnto Ahia: bryng hyther the arcke of God. For the arck of God was at that tyme wt the children of Israel. 19 And whyle Saule talked vnto the priest, the people that were in the host of the Philistines, ranne more & more. And Saul sayd vnto the priest: withdraw thyne hand. 20 And Saul cryed & all the people that were with him, and went to battel. And beholde euery mans swerd was agaynst hys felowe, wt a myghty great slaughter. 21 Moreouer the Ebrues that were with the Philistines before that tyme, & were come with them in al partes of the hoste, they turned to Israel that was with Saul & Ionathas. 22 And they also whiche had hydde them selues in mount Ephraim, as sone as they heard how that the Philistines were fledde, they folowed after them in battell. 23 And so God holp Israel that daye. And the battell contynued vntyll they came to Bethauen. 24 And the men of Israel ioyned them selues together that daye: & Saule adiured the people saying: Cursed be he that eateth anye fode vntyll nyghte, that I may be aduenged of myne enemies. And so there was none of the people that tasted any sustinaunce. 25 And all the land came to a woode where honye laye vpon the grounde. 26 And when the people were come into the woodde: Beholde, the honye dropped. How be it there was no man that moued hys hande to hys mouthe, because that the people feared the cursse. 27 But Ionathas heard not when hys father adiured the people, wherfor he put forth the ende of the staffe that was in his hand & dipte it in an honye combe, & put his hande to his mouth, & his eyes receyued sight. 28 Then spake one of the people & sayd: thy father adiured the people saying: Cursed be that man that eateth any sustinaunce this daye, and yet the people were fayntye. 29 Then sayde Ionathas: my father hath troubled the land: for se, myne eyes hath receyued sighte, because I tasted a lytle of thys honye: 30 how then yf all the people had eaten of the spoyle of theyr enemyes, which they founde had there not ben then a muche greater slaughter amonge the Philistines? 31 And they layed on the Philistines that daye, from Machmas to Aialon. And the people were excedynge fayntye. 32 Then the people gat them to the spoyle & toke shepe, oxen & calues, & slue them on the ground & dyd eate wyth the bloude. 33 Then the men told Saul, sayinge: Beholde the people synne agaynst the Lorde, in that they eate wyth the bloude. And he sayde: ye haue trespaced. But roule a greate stone vnto me nowe, 34 and go abroad among the people, and bidde them bryng euery man his oxe & euerye man hys shepe, & slaye them here, & synne not agaynste the Lorde in eatyng with the bloude. And the people brought euery man his oxe in his hand by night & slue them there. 35 And Saul made an aultar vnto the Lorde. And that was the fyrst altare that he made vnto the Lorde. 36 And Saul sayde: let vs go doune after the Philistines by nyght, & let vs make hauoke amonge them vntyll it be daye in the mornyng, and let vs not leaue one of them. And the people answered: do whatsoeuer thou thynkest best. Then sayd the priest: let vs come hether vnto God. 37 And Saule asked of God: shall I go doune after the Philistines? and wylt thou delyuer them into myne handes? But he aunswered hym not at that tyme. 38 Then sayde Saul: let the people come hyther out of all quarters, & knowe and se, in whome thys synne is chaunced thys daye: 39 for as trulye as the Lorde lyueth which hath saued Israel, though it be in Ionathas my sonne he shall dye for it. But no man answered hym of all the people. 40 Then he said vnto all Israell: be ye on one syde, & I & Ionathas my sonne wylbe on another. And the people sayde vnto Saule: what thou thynkest best that do. 41 And Saule sayde vnto the Lorde God of Israell: geue perfecte knoweledge. And Saule and Ionathas were caught, & the people skaped free. 42 Then sayde Saul, cast lottes betwene me & Ionathas my sonne. And Ionathas was caughte. 43 Then Saul sayde to Ionathas: tell me what thou hast done. And Ionathas tolde hym & sayde: I tasted a lytle honye vpon the ende of my staffe that was in myne hande, & se, I must dye. 44 Then sayd Saul: God do so and so to me except that thou dye Ionathas. 45 But the people sayde vnto Saul: shall Ionathas dye whiche hath so myghtely holpe Israel? God forbyd. As truly as the Lorde lyueth, there shall not one hearre of his head fal to the ground: for he hath wroughte with God thys daye. And so the people delyuered Ionathas, that he dyed not. And then Saule departed from folowyng the Philistynes. 46 And the Phylystynes wente to theyr owne place. 47 And so Saule toke the kyngedom ouer Israel, and fought agaynste all hys enemyes on euerye syde: agaynste the Moabytes: agaynst the chyldren of Ammon: agaynst the Edomites: agaynste the Kynges of Zobah and agaynst the Philystynes. And whethersoeuer he turned hym selfe, there he wanne, 48 and played the man & slue the Amaleckites, and rydde Israel out of the handes of them that spoyled them. 49 The sonnes of Saule were Ionathas, Iesui, and Melchisua. And hys two doughters were thus named: the elder was called Merob & the younger Michol. 50 And the name of Saules wyfe was Ahinoam the doughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of hys chyefe captayne was Abner the sonne of Ner Saules vncle. 51 And Cis was Saules father. And Ner the father of Abner was the sonne of Abiel. 52 And there was sore war with the Philistines al the dayes of Saul. For whersoeuer Saul sawe a stronge man, and an actiue, he toke hym vnto hym.