Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
ASV
American Standard Version
One
day Jonathan son of Saul said to
the young man bearing
his armor, “
Come, let us cross
over to the Philistine
outpost
on the
other
side. ”
But Jonathan
did
not tell
his father.
Now
it
fell
upon
a
day ,
that
Jonathan the
son of Saul said unto
the young man that
bare
his armor, Come, and
let us go
over to the Philistines'
garrison,
that
is
on yonder
side. But he
told
not his father.
Meanwhile,
Saul was
staying
under the pomegranate tree in Migron on
the
outskirts
of
Gibeah.
And the troops
who
were with him numbered
about six hundred men ,
And
Saul abode
in
the
uttermost
part
of
Gibeah
under the pomegranate -
tree which
is
in Migron :
and the people
that
were with him were
about six hundred men ;
including
Ahijah, who
was
wearing
an
ephod.
He
was
the son of Ichabod’s
brother
Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the
LORD
in Shiloh. But
the troops
did
not know
that Jonathan had
left
.
and
Ahijah, the son of Ahitub ,
Ichabod's
brother,
the
son of Phinehas, the son of Eli ,
the priest of Jehovah
in Shiloh ,
wearing
an
ephod
. And
the people
knew
not that Jonathan was
gone
.
Now
there
were
cliffs
on
both
sides
of
the pass
that
Jonathan intended
to
cross
to reach
the Philistine
outpost.
One was named
Bozez and the other Seneh.
And
between
the passes,
by
which
Jonathan sought
to go
over
unto
the Philistines'
garrison,
there
was
a
rocky
crag
on
the
one side,
and
a
rocky
crag
on
the
other
side:
and
the
name
of
the
one
was Bozez ,
and the name
of
the
other Seneh.
One cliff
stood
to
the north toward
Michmash, and the other to
the south toward
Geba.
The
one crag
rose
up
on
the north in
front
of
Michmash, and the other on
the south in
front
of
Geba.
Jonathan said to the young man bearing
his armor, “
Come, let us cross
over to
the outpost
of these uncircumcised men.
Perhaps
the
LORD
will work on
our
behalf.
Nothing
can
hinder
the
LORD
from
saving,
whether
by many or by few. ”
And
Jonathan said to the young man that
bare
his armor, Come, and
let us go
over unto
the garrison
of these uncircumcised :
it
may
be
that
Jehovah
will work for
us;
for
there
is
no
restraint
to
Jehovah
to
save
by many or by few.
His armor-bearer
replied
, “
Do all that is in your
heart .
Go
ahead;
I am with you
heart and
soul
. ”
And
his armorbearer
said
unto
him
, Do all that is in thy
heart :
turn
thee,
behold,
I am with thee
according
to
thy
heart.
“Very
well,”
said Jonathan, “
we will cross
over toward
these
men and show
ourselves to
them.
Then
said Jonathan, Behold,
we will pass
over unto
the
men ,
and we
will
disclose
ourselves unto
them.
If they say, ‘Wait
until we come to you ,’
then we will stay
where
we
are
and will not go up to
them.
If they say thus
unto
us
, Tarry
until we come to you ;
then we will stand
still
in
our
place,
and will not go up unto
them.
But if they say, ‘
Come on
up ,’
then we will go up ,
because
this
will
be
our
sign
that
the
LORD
has
delivered them into our hands
. ”
But if they say thus
, Come up unto
us;
then we will go up ;
for
Jehovah
hath
delivered them into our hand:
and
this
shall
be
the
sign
unto
us
.
So
the
two
of them showed
themselves to
the outpost
of the Philistines ,
who
exclaimed
, “Look
, the Hebrews are
coming
out of the holes in
which
they were
hiding!”
And
both
of them disclosed
themselves unto
the garrison
of the Philistines :
and
the
Philistines
said
, Behold
, the Hebrews come
forth
out of the holes where
they had
hid
themselves.
So
the men of the outpost
called
out
to
Jonathan and his armor-bearer
, “
Come on
up, and we will teach
you a lesson!”
“Follow
me,”
Jonathan told
his armor-bearer
, “
for the
LORD
has
delivered them into the hand of Israel. ”
And
the men of the garrison
answered
Jonathan and his armorbearer
, and
said,
Come up to
us
, and we will show
you a thing.
And
Jonathan said
unto
his armorbearer
, Come
up
after
me;
for Jehovah
hath
delivered them into the hand of Israel.
So
Jonathan climbed up on
his hands and feet, with
his armor-bearer
behind
him .
And the
Philistines
fell before Jonathan ,
and his armor-bearer
followed
and
finished
them off
.
And
Jonathan climbed up upon
his hands and upon
his
feet, and
his armorbearer
after
him :
and they
fell before Jonathan ;
and his armorbearer
slew
them after
him
.
In
that first assault
, Jonathan and his armor-bearer
struck
down
about twenty men over
half an acre of land.
And
that first slaughter
, which
Jonathan and his armorbearer
made,
was
about twenty men ,
within
as
it
were
half a
furrow's
length
in
an acre of land.
Then
terror
struck
the
Philistines
in the camp, in the field, and among all the people .
Even
those
in
the outposts
and raiding
parties
trembled.
Indeed
, the earth quaked and
panic
spread
from
God
.
And
there
was
a
trembling
in the camp, in the field, and among all the people ;
the garrison,
and the
spoilers
, they
also
trembled;
and
the earth quaked :
so
there
was
an
exceeding
great
trembling
.
Now
when
Saul’s
watchmen at
Gibeah
in Benjamin looked and saw
the troops
melting
away and
scattering
in
every
direction
,
And
the
watchmen of
Saul
in Gibeah
of
Benjamin looked ;
and ,
behold,
the multitude
melted
away, and
they
went
`hither'
and
thither.
Saul
said to
the troops
who
were with him, “Call
the
roll
and see who has
left
us. ”
And when they had called
the
roll
, they
saw
that
Jonathan and his armor-bearer
were not there.
Then
said Saul
unto
the people
that
were with him, Number
now,
and see who is
gone
from
us. And when they had numbered
, behold,
Jonathan and his armorbearer
were not there.
Then
Saul said to
Ahijah, “
Bring the ark of God. ”
(
For at that time it
was
with the Israelites
. )
And
Saul said unto
Ahijah, Bring hither
the ark of God. For the
ark
of
God
was
`there'
at that time with the children
of
Israel
.
While Saul was
talking
to
the priest, the commotion
in the Philistine
camp continued
to
increase.
So
Saul said to
the priest, “
Withdraw your
hand. ”
And
it
came
to
pass,
while Saul talked
unto
the priest, that
the tumult
that
was
in the camp of
the
Philistines
went
on
and
increased:
and
Saul said unto
the priest, Withdraw thy
hand.
Then
Saul and all his
troops
assembled
and marched
to the battle ,
and they
found
the
Philistines
in
total
confusion
, with
each
man
wielding
the
sword against his neighbor
.
And
Saul and all the
people
that
were
with
him
were
gathered
together,
and came
to the battle :
and, behold,
every
man's
sword was
against his fellow,
`and
there
was'
a
very
great
discomfiture
.
And
the Hebrews who
had
previously
gone
up into the surrounding
camps
of
the Philistines
now
went
over
to the Israelites who
were with Saul and Jonathan.
Now
the Hebrews that
were
with
the
Philistines
as
beforetime,
and
that
went
up with
them
into the camp,
`from
the country'
round
about,
even
they
also
`turned'
to be
with
the Israelites that
were with Saul and Jonathan.
When
all the Israelites
who
had been
hiding
in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were
fleeing
, they also joined
Saul
and
Jonathan
in the battle.
Likewise
all the men
of
Israel
that
had hid
themselves
in the hill -
country of Ephraim ,
when
they
heard that the Philistines fled
, even
they also followed
hard
after
them
in the battle.
So the
LORD
saved Israel that day ,
and the battle moved
on
beyond
Beth-aven.
So Jehovah
saved Israel that day :
and the battle passed
over
by
Beth-aven.
Now
the men of Israel were in
distress
that day ,
for Saul had placed
the troops
under
an
oath
, saying, “
Cursed is
the man who
eats
any food before
evening, before
I have
taken
vengeance
on my
enemies. ”
So none of the troops
tasted any
food.
And
the men of Israel were distressed
that day ;
for Saul had adjured
the people
, saying, Cursed be
the man that
eateth
any food until
it
be
evening, and
I be
avenged
on mine
enemies. So none of the people
tasted food.
Then
all the troops
entered
the forest ,
and there was honey on
the ground.
And
all the people
came
into
the forest ;
and there was honey upon
the ground.
And when they
entered
the forest and
saw
the flowing
honey ,
not
one
of
them
put his hand to his mouth ,
because
they
feared the oath.
And when the people
were
come
unto
the
forest ,
behold,
the honey dropped:
but
no
man
put his hand to his mouth ;
for
the
people
feared the oath.
Jonathan ,
however,
had
not
heard that
his father had
charged the people with the oath .
So
he reached
out
the end of the staff
in his hand, dipped it into
the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened
.
But
Jonathan heard not
when
his father charged the people with the oath :
wherefore
he put
forth
the end of the rod
that
was
in his hand, and
dipped it in
the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were
enlightened
.
Then one of the soldiers
told
him
, “Your
father bound
the troops
with a
solemn
oath, saying, ‘
Cursed is
the man who
eats
food today
. ’
That
is
why
the people are
faint. ”
Then answered
one of the people
, and
said,
Thy
father straitly
charged
the people
with an
oath, saying, Cursed be
the man that
eateth
food this
day
. And
the people were
faint.
“
My father has
brought
trouble
to
the land, ”
Jonathan
replied.
“Just
look
at
how my
eyes have brightened
because I tasted a little of this honey.
Then
said
Jonathan,
My father hath
troubled
the land :
see
, I
pray
you,
how mine
eyes have been
enlightened,
because I tasted a little of this honey.
How much better
it
would
have
been
if the troops
had eaten freely today
from
the plunder
they
took
from
their enemies !
Would
not
the
slaughter of
the Philistines have
been
much
greater?”
How much more,
if haply
the people
had eaten freely to-day
of
the spoil
of
their enemies which
they
found?
for
now
hath
there
been
no
great
slaughter among
the Philistines .
That
day,
after
the
Israelites
had
struck
down
the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon ,
the people were very faint .
And
they
smote
of
the Philistines that
day
from Michmash to Aijalon .
And
the people were very faint ;
So
they
rushed
greedily
to
the plunder
, taking
sheep, cattle
, and calves .
They
slaughtered
them on the ground and ate
meat
with the blood still
in
it
.
and
the people
flew
upon
the
spoil
, and
took
sheep, and
oxen
, and calves ,
and
slew
them on the ground ;
and the
people
did
eat
them
with the blood.
Then someone
reported
to
Saul :
“Look
, the troops
are
sinning
against the
LORD
by
eating
meat
with the blood still
in
it
. ”
“You
have
broken
faith,”
said Saul.
“
Roll a large
stone over
here
at
once
. ”
Then they
told
Saul, saying,
Behold,
the people
sin
against Jehovah,
in
that
they
eat
with the blood. And
he
said ,
ye
have
dealt
treacherously:
roll a great
stone unto
me
this
day
.
Then
he
said, “Go
among the troops
and tell
them, ‘Each
man
must
bring me his ox or
his sheep, slaughter
them in
this
place
, and then
eat .
Do
not
sin against the
LORD
by
eating meat
with the blood still
in
it
. ’”
So
that
night
everyone
brought his ox and slaughtered
it
there.
And
Saul
said, Disperse
yourselves
among the people,
and say
unto
them, Bring me hither
every
man
his ox ,
and
every
man
his sheep, and
slay
them here
, and eat ;
and
sin not
against Jehovah
in
eating with the blood. And
all
the
people
brought every
man
his ox with
him
that
night,
and slew
them
there.
Then
Saul built an altar to
the LORD;
it
was the first time
he had
built an
altar
to
the
LORD
.
And
Saul built an altar unto
Jehovah:
the same
was the first altar
that
he built unto
Jehovah
.
And Saul said, “
Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder
them until dawn
, leaving
no
man alive!”
“
Do what
seems
good to
you,”
the
troops
replied
. But
the priest said
, “We
must
consult
God here
. ”
And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night ,
and take
spoil
among
them until the
morning
light
, and
let
us
not
leave
a
man of
them.
And
they
said,
Do whatsoever
seemeth
good unto
thee
. Then
said
the priest, Let
us
draw
near
hither
unto
God.
So
Saul inquired
of God, “
Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will
You
give
them into the hand of Israel? ”
But God
did
not
answer
him that day.
And
Saul asked
counsel
of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt
thou
deliver
them into the hand of Israel? But he
answered
him not
that day.
Therefore
Saul said, “Come
here
, all you
leaders
of the troops,
and let
us
investigate
how
this sin has
occurred
today
.
And
Saul said, Draw
nigh
hither
, all ye
chiefs
of the people;
and know
and
see
wherein
this sin hath
been
this
day
.
As
surely
as the
LORD
who saves
Israel lives
, even
if
it is
my son Jonathan
, he must
die !”
But not one
of
the
troops
said
a word
.
For,
as Jehovah
liveth,
who saveth
Israel, though
it be
in
Jonathan
my son, he shall
surely
die .
But there
was
not a man
among
all
the
people
that
answered
him
.
Then Saul
said to
all Israel, “You
stand
on one side, and I and my son Jonathan
will stand
on the other side. ”
“
Do what seems
good to
you,”
the
troops
replied
.
Then said he
unto
all Israel, Be
ye
on one side, and I and Jonathan
my son will be
on the other side. And
the
people
said
unto
Saul,
Do what seemeth
good unto
thee
.
So
Saul said to
the
LORD
, the God of Israel, “Why
have
You
not
answered
Your
servant
this
day?
If
the
fault
is
with
me
or
my
son
Jonathan,
respond
with
Urim;
but
if
the
fault
is
with
the men
of
Israel,
respond
with
Thummim
. ”
And Jonathan and Saul were selected,
but the people were
cleared
of
the
charge
.
Therefore
Saul said unto
Jehovah
, the God of Israel, Show
the right
. And Jonathan and Saul were taken
`by
lot';
but the people escaped
.
Then
Saul said, “
Cast the
lot
between me and my son Jonathan
. ”
And Jonathan was selected
.
And
Saul said, Cast `lots'
between me and Jonathan
my son. And Jonathan was taken
.
“
Tell me what you
have
done ,”
Saul
commanded
him
. So
Jonathan told him, “
I only
tasted
a little honey with the end of the staff
that was in my hand .
And now
I must die ?”
Then
Saul
said
to
Jonathan,
Tell me what thou
hast
done. And
Jonathan told him, and
said,
I did
certainly
taste
a little honey with the end of the rod
that was in my hand ;
and ,
lo,
I must die .
And Saul declared
, “May
God punish
me,
and
ever
so
severely,
if
you,
Jonathan,
do not
surely die !”
And Saul said
, God do so
and
more
also;
for
thou
shalt
surely die ,
Jonathan.
But
the people said to
Saul, “Must
Jonathan die —he
who accomplished
such
a
great deliverance
for
Israel? Never!
As
surely
as the
LORD
lives
, not a
hair of his head will
fall to the ground ,
for with
God’s
help
he has
accomplished
this today
. ”
So the people rescued Jonathan, and
he did
not die
.
And
the people said unto
Saul, Shall
Jonathan die ,
who hath
wrought
this
great salvation
in
Israel? Far
from
it:
as Jehovah
liveth
, there
shall
not one
hair of his head fall to the ground ;
for he hath
wrought
with
God
this day
. So the people rescued Jonathan, that
he died
not.
Then Saul gave
up his
pursuit
of
the Philistines ,
and the Philistines returned
to their own land
.
Then Saul went
up from
following
the Philistines ;
and the Philistines went
to their own place
.
After
Saul had assumed
the kingship
over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side —the
Moabites
, the
Ammonites
, the Edomites
, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines .
Wherever
he turned, he routed
them.
Now
when
Saul had taken
the kingdom
over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against
Moab
, and
against
the children
of
Ammon
, and
against
Edom,
and
against
the kings of Zobah, and against
the Philistines :
and
whithersoever
he turned himself
, he put
`
them '
to
the
worse
.
He fought
valiantly and defeated
the Amalekites, delivering
Israel from
the hands of its
plunderers
.
And
he did
valiantly ,
and smote
the Amalekites, and
delivered
Israel out
of
the hands of them
that
despoiled
them
.
Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua .
His two daughters were named
Merab (his
firstborn)
and Michal
(his
younger daughter).
Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and
Ishvi, and Malchishua ;
and
the
names
of
his two daughters were these:
the
name
of
the
first-born
Merab ,
and the
name
of
the
younger Michal:
His
wife’s
name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander
of his army
was Abner ,
the son of Saul’s
uncle
Ner.
and
the
name of
Saul's
wife
was Ahinoam the
daughter of Ahimaaz. And
the name of the captain
of his host
was Abner the son of Ner ,
Saul's
uncle
.
Saul’s
father
Kish
and Abner’s
father Ner were
sons
of Abiel.
And Kish
was
the
father of
Saul;
and
Ner the
father
of Abner
was
the
son
of
Abiel.
And the
war with
the Philistines was
fierce
for
all the days of Saul .
So
whenever
he
noticed
any strong
or brave
man, Saul
would
enlist
him.
And there
was
sore
war against
the Philistines all the days of Saul :
and
when
Saul
saw
any mighty
man,
or any
valiant
man, he
took
him unto
him
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and American Standard Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..