14:1And it happened on a certain day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man, his armour-bearer: "Come, and let us cross over to the garrison of the Philistines, which is across that place." 14:1But to his father he did not tell this very thing. 14:2Now Saul was staying in the furthest part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree, which was in Migron: and the people with him was about six hundred men. 14:3And Ahijah, son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, who had sprung from Eli, priest of the Lord in Shiloh, was carrying the ephod. 14:3And the people too did not know where Jonathan had gone.
14:4Now there were, between the ascents by which Jonathan was striving to cross to the garrison of the Philistines, rocks jutting out on either side, and crags, like teeth in form, sheer on this side and that: the name to one was Bozez, and the name to the other Seneh: one crag jutting out to the north opposite Michmash, and the other to the south facing Gibeah. 14:6And Jonathan said to the young man, his armour-bearer: "Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised, if perhaps the Lord may act for us: because it is not difficult for the Lord to save, whether by many, or by few."
14:7And his armour-bearer said to him: "Do all things which please your mind: go on where you desire, and I will be with you wherever you wish." 14:8And Jonathan said: "Look, we are crossing over to these men. 14:8And when we have appeared to them, if they speak to us in such a way: Stay until we come to you: let us stand in our place, and not go up to them. 14:10But if they say: Come up to us: let us go up, because the Lord has handed them over into our hands: this will be a sign for us." 14:11So both of them appeared to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said: "See, the Hebrews are coming out of the caves in which they had been hidden."
14:12And the men of the garrison spoke to Jonathan and to his armour-bearer, and said: "Come up to us, and we will show you something." 14:12And Jonathan said to his armour-bearer: "Let us go up: follow me: for the Lord has handed them over into the hands of Israel." 14:13And Jonathan went up, creeping on hands and feet, and his armour-bearer after him. 14:13And so some were falling before Jonathan, others his armour-bearer, following him, was killing. 14:14And there was made the first slaughter, with which Jonathan and his armour-bearer struck, of about twenty men in the half part of an acre which a pair of oxen is accustomed to plough in a day.
14:15And there came about a wonder in the camp throughout the fields: and also all the people of their garrison who had gone to plunder were stunned, and the earth was thrown into turmoil: and it happened like a wonder from God. 14:16And the watchmen of Saul who were in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and look, a multitude laid low, and fleeing apart this way and that. 14:17And Saul said to the people who were with him: "Search, and see who has gone off from us." 14:17And when they had searched, it was found that Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not present. 14:18And Saul said to Ahijah: "Bring near the ark of God."
14:18(For the ark of God was there on that day with the sons of Israel.) And while Saul was speaking to the priest, a great uproar arose in the camp of the Philistines: and it was growing little by little, and resounding more clearly. 14:19And Saul said to the priest: "Draw in your hand." 14:20So Saul shouted together, and all the people who were with him, and they came as far as the place of the contest: and look, the sword of each one had been turned against his neighbour, and the slaughter was great beyond measure. 14:21And also the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines yesterday and the day before, and had gone up with them in the camp, turned back to be with Israel who were with Saul and Jonathan.
14:22All the Israelites also who had hidden themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, hearing that the Philistines had fled, joined themselves with their own people in the battle. 14:22And there were with Saul about ten thousand men. 14:23And the Lord saved Israel on that day: and the fighting reached as far as Beth-aven. 14:24And the men of Israel were joined together on that day: and Saul put the people under oath, saying: "Cursed be the man who eats bread until evening, until I take vengeance on my enemies." 14:24And the whole people did not eat bread: and all the common folk of the land came into a woodland, in which there was honey upon the face of the field.
14:26And so the people entered the woodland, and honey appeared flowing, and no one put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath. 14:27But Jonathan had not heard when his father was putting the people under oath: and he stretched out the tip of the rod which he had in his hand, and dipped it into a honeycomb: and he turned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were lit up. 14:28And one of the people, answering, said: "Your father has bound the people with an oath, saying: Cursed be the man who eats bread today." 14:28(And the people had grown faint.) And Jonathan said: "My father has troubled the land: you yourselves have seen that my eyes have been lit up, because I have tasted a little of this honey: how much more if the people had eaten of the plunder of their enemies, which it found?
14:30Would not a greater slaughter have been made among the Philistines?" 14:31So they struck the Philistines on that day from Michmash as far as Aijalon. 14:31And the people were wearied exceedingly: and turning to the plunder it took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and they slaughtered them on the ground: and the people ate with the blood. 14:33And they announced to Saul, saying that the people had sinned against the Lord, eating with the blood. 14:33He said: "You have transgressed: roll to me right now a great stone." 14:34And Saul said: "Scatter yourselves among the crowd, and tell them that each one should bring to me his ox and ram, and slaughter them upon this, and eat, and you will not sin against the Lord eating with the blood."
14:34And so all the people, each one, brought an ox in his hand until night: and they slaughtered them there. 14:35And Saul built an altar to the Lord, and then first he began to build an altar to the Lord. 14:36And Saul said: "Let us rush upon the Philistines by night, and lay them waste until the morning grows light, and let us not leave a man of them." 14:36And the people said: "Do everything which seems good in your eyes." 14:36And the priest said: "Let us approach God here." 14:37And Saul consulted the Lord: "Shall I pursue the Philistines? 14:37Will you hand them over into the hands of Israel?"
14:37And he did not answer him on that day. 14:38And Saul said: "Bring near here all the corners of the people: and know, and see through whom this sin has happened today. 14:39As the Lord lives, saviour of Israel, if it has been done through Jonathan my son, he shall die without retraction." 14:39To which no one of all the people spoke against him. 14:40And he said to all Israel: "Separate yourselves into one part, and I with Jonathan my son will be in the other part." 14:40And the people answered Saul: "Do what seems good in your eyes." 14:41And Saul said to the Lord God of Israel: "Lord God of Israel, give a sign: what is it that you have not answered your servant today?
14:41If this iniquity is in me, or in Jonathan my son, give a showing: or if this iniquity is in your people, give holiness." 14:41And Jonathan and Saul were caught: but the people went out free. 14:42And Saul said: "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son." 14:42And Jonathan was taken. 14:43And Saul said to Jonathan: "Tell me what you have done." 14:43And Jonathan told him, and said: "Tasting, I tasted with the tip of the rod which was in my hand a little honey, and look, I am dying." 14:44And Saul said: "May God do these things to me, and add these things, for you shall die the death, Jonathan."
14:45And the people said to Saul: "Shall Jonathan then die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? 14:45This is an outrage: as the Lord lives, not a hair shall fall from his head to the ground, because he has worked with God today." 14:45So the people freed Jonathan, so that he did not die. 14:46And Saul withdrew, and did not pursue the Philistines: and the Philistines went off to their own places. 14:47And Saul, the kingdom having been made firm over Israel, fought round about against all his enemies, against Moab, and the sons of Ammon, and Edom, and the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines: and wherever he had turned himself, he overcame.
14:48And an army having been gathered, he struck Amalek, and rescued Israel from the hand of its plunderers. 14:49And the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua: and the names of his two daughters, the name of the first-born Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. 14:50And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz: and the name of the chief of his army Abner, son of Ner, Saul's cousin. 14:51Now Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner, son of Abiel. 14:52And there was mighty war against the Philistines all the days of Saul. 14:52For whatever strong man Saul had seen, and fit for battle, he would join him to himself.