1 Samuel 14 And one day Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to his servant who carried his arms, Come, let us go over to Messab of the Philistines, that is on yonder side: but he did not tell his father.

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ And one day Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to his servant who carried his arms, Come, let us go over to Messab of the Philistines, that is on yonder side: but he did not tell his father. ² Now Saul had posted himself on the top of the hill, in the pomegranate grove, at Magdon, and there were with him about six hundred men; ³ and Achia, son of Achitob, the brother of Jochabed, son of Phineas, son of Eli, was the priest of God at Selom, wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone. ⁴ Now in the middle of the passage where Jonathan sought to cross over to the army of the Philistines, there was a point of a rock on this side, and the point of a rock on that, the name of the one was Bases, and the name of the other Senna. ⁵ There was one way on the north for going to Machmas, and another way on the south, for going to Gabaa. ⁶ And when Jonathan said to his servant who carried his arms, Come let us go over to Messab of these uncircumcised Philistines, it may be, the Lord may do something for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few; ⁷ his armour bearer said to him, Do whatever thy heart is inclined to; behold I am with thee. As thy heart is, so is mine. ⁸ Then Jonathan said, Behold we are going to cross over to these men, therefore we must shew ourselves before them. ⁹ If they say to us, Stand off there till we tell you, then we must stand where we are, and not go up to them: ¹⁰ but if they say to us, Come up to us, then let us go up, for the Lord hath delivered them into our hands. This shall be a sign to us. ¹¹ So they both went to Messab of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, Behold the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they hid themselves. ¹² And the men of Messab, addressing Jonathan, and his armour bearer, said, Come up to us, and we will let you know something. Upon which Jonathan said to his armour bearer, Come up after me; for the Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Israel. ¹³ So Jonathan clambered up upon his hands and feet, and his armour bearer with him; and they turned back at the sight of Jonathan, and he smote them; and his armour bearer behind him, supplied him. ¹⁴ Now the first slaughter which Jonathan, with his armour bearer made, was about twenty men, with darts, and sling stones, and pebbles picked up from the ground. ¹⁵ And there was a consternation in the camp, and in the field; and all the people who were in Messab, and they who were spoiling, were struck with horror, and would not do any thing; for the earth trembled, and the consternation was from the Lord. ¹⁶ And the watchmen of Saul, at Gabaa of Benjamin, looked, and behold the camp was in confusion from one side to the other. ¹⁷ Whereupon Saul said to the people who were with him, Examine I pray you, and see who is gone from us. And when they examined, behold Jonathan and his armour bearer were not to be found. ¹⁸ Then Saul said to Achia, Bring the ephod. For he at that time wore the ephod before Israel. ¹⁹ But while Saul was speaking to the priest, the noise in the camp of the Philistines continued, and grew louder and louder; whereupon Saul said to the priest, Bring together thy hands. ²⁰ And Saul went up, and all the people with him, and came to the battle, and behold every man's sword was against his fellow, and the confusion was very great. ²¹ And the slaves, who had heretofore been with the Philistines, who had come up to the camp, even they turned, and joined the Israelites, who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² And all the Israelites, who had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines were fleeing, collected together, and went after them to battle. ²³ So the Lord saved Israel that day; and the battle passed through the Bamoth, and all the people with Saul were about ten thousand men; and the battle spread to every city on mount Ephraim. ²⁴ But Saul was guilty of a great imprudence that day; for he uttered an imprecation to the people, saying, Cursed be the man who eateth bread till evening, that I may take vengeance on mine enemy; so that none of the people tasted bread, though all the country was dining. ²⁵ Nay, though the forest Jaal abounded with honey, on the face of the ground, ²⁶ and the people entered that apiary; yet behold they went on talking, and behold there was not one who put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath of the Lord. ²⁷ But Jonathan did not hear when his father adjured the people, therefore he stretched forth the end of the sceptre in his hand, and stuck it into a honey-comb, and when he put his hand to his mouth, his eyes brightened up. ²⁸ And one of the people addressing him said, Thy father solemnly adjured the people saying, Cursed be the man who eateth bread this day, so the people are become faint. ²⁹ And when Jonathan knew this he said, My father hath troubled the land. See how my eyes have sparkled, because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ Consequently, had the people this day eaten freely of the spoils of the enemy, the slaughter among the Philistines would now have been much greater. ³¹ They had now smitten on that day those of the Philistines at Machmas, and as the people were very fainty, ³² they turned upon the spoils; and when they took sheep, or cattle, or calves, they slew them on the ground, and eat them with the blood. ³³ And when it was told Saul, saying, The people have sinned against the Lord by eating with the blood, Saul said, Ye of Gethaim, roll for me here a great stone. ³⁴ Then Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and order them to bring here every man his ox, and every one his sheep, and kill it on this stone, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. So the people brought every one, what he had at hand and they slaughtered them there. ³⁵ And Saul built an altar there to the Lord. This was the first altar which Saul built to the Lord. ³⁶ Then Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines this night, and make devastation among them till the morning light, and not leave a man among them. And they said, Do what is good in thy sight. But the priest said, Let us draw near hither to God. ³⁷ Whereupon Saul consulted God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into the hands of Israel? But he answered him not that day. ³⁸ Then Saul said, Present here all the chiefs of Israel, and know and see by whom this sin hath been done this day; ³⁹ for as the Lord liveth who hath saved Israel, if the answer be given against Jonathan my son, he shall surely be put to death. But there was not one of the people who answered. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all the men of Israel, You shall be one lot, and I and my son Jonathan shall be the other lot. And the people said to Saul, Do what seemeth good in thy sight. ⁴¹ Then Saul said, Lord the God of Israel, why hast thou not answered thy servant this day? If the fault be in me, or in Jonathan my son, Lord God of Israel make us manifest. And when he said these words, Give I beseech thee to thy people Israel, Give I beseech thee Sanctity, the lot fell on Jonathan and Saul; and the people escaped. ⁴² Then Saul said, Cast the lot between me, and Jonathan my son, and against whomsoever the Lord shall decide by lot, let him be put to death. But the people said to Saul, This is not confirmed. But Saul prevailed over the people, so they cast the lot between him and his son Jonathan; and the lot fell on Jonathan. ⁴³ Thereupon Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me; what hast thou done? And when Jonathan told him, and said, I just tasted a little honey with the end of the sceptre which was in my hand, and behold I must die; ⁴⁴ Saul said to him, God do so to me, and more also, but thou shalt surely die this day. ⁴⁵ Upon this the people said to Saul, Shall he this day be put to death who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? As the Lord liveth there shall not a hair of his head fall to the ground. Because the people of God had that day performed exploits, therefore the people prayed for Jonathan that day, and he did not die. ⁴⁶ Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their place. ⁴⁷ Now Saul cast lots for the administration of government. Every work over Israel was determined by lot. And he made war on all his enemies round about, on Moab, and on the children of Ammon, and the children of Edom, and on Baithaior, and on the king of Suba, and on the Philistines, and whithersoever he turned he was saved. ⁴⁸ He formed also an army and smote Amelek, and delivered Israel out of the hand of those who had trampled on them. ⁴⁹ Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Jessiou, and Melchisa, and these were the names of his two daughters. The name of his first born was Merob, and the name of his second Melchol. ⁵⁰ And the name of his wife was Achinoam. She was the daughter of Achimaas. And the name of his captain general was Abenner. He was the son of Ner, Saul's uncle; ⁵¹ for Kis the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abenner, were sons of Jamin, son of Abiel. ⁵² Now there was a fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul had assembled to him every man of valour, and every man whom he saw expert in war,