6d-When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble—for the troops were hard pressed—the people hid in caves, among thorns, among rocks, in tunnels, and in cisterns. 7Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan, [to] the territory of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and the rest of the people rallied to him in alarm.-d
8He waited seven days, the time that Samuel [had set].g But when Samuel failed to come to Gilgal, and the people began to scatter, 9Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the sacrifice of well-being”; and he presented the burnt offering. 10He had just finished presenting the burnt offering when Samuel arrived; and Saul went out to meet him and welcome him. 11But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “I saw the people leaving me and scattering; you had not come at the appointed time, and the Philistines had gathered at Michmas. 12I thought the Philistines would march down against me at Gilgal before I had entreated the LORD, so Id-forced myself-d to present the burnt offering.” 13Samuel answered Saul, h-“You acted foolishly in not keeping the commandments that the LORD your God laid upon you! Otherwise-h the LORD would have established your dynasty over Israel forever. 14But now your dynasty will not endure. The LORD will seek out a man after His own heart, and the LORD will appoint him ruler over His people, because you did not abide by what the LORD had commanded you.”
15i-Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal-i to Gibeahj of Benjamin. Saul numbered the troops who remained with him—about 600 strong. 16Saul and his son Jonathan, and the troops who remained with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines were encamped at Michmas. 17The raiders came out of the Philistine camp in three columns: One column headed for the Ophrah road that leads to the district of Shual, 18another column headed for the Beth-horon road, and the third column headed for the borderk road that overlooks the valley of Zeboim toward the desert.
19No smith was to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines were afraid that the Hebrews would make swords or spears. 20So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, their mattocks, axes, and coltersl sharpened. 21m The charge for sharpening was a pimn for plowshares, mattocks, three-pronged forks, and axes, and for setting the goads. 22Thus on the day of the battle, no sword or spear was to be found in the possession of any of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and Jonathan had them.
23Now the Philistine garrison had marched out to the pass of Michmas.
14 One day, Jonathan son of Saul said to the attendant who carried his arms, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine garrison on the other side”; but he did not tell his father. 2Now Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah,a under the pomegranate tree at Migron, and the troops with him numbered about 600. 3Ahijah son of Ahitub brother of Ichabod son of Phinehas son of Eli, the priest of the LORD at Shiloh, was there bearing an ephod.—The troops did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4b-At the crossing-b by which Jonathan sought to reach the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on one side, and another rocky crag on the other, the one called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5One crag was located on the north, near Michmas, and the other on the south, near Geba.
6Jonathan said to the attendant who carried his arms, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf, for nothing prevents the LORD from winning a victory by many or by few.” 7His arms-bearer answered him, “Do whatever c-you like. You go first,-c I am d-with you, whatever you decide.”-d 8Jonathan said, “We’ll cross over to those men and let them see us. 9If they say to us, ‘Wait until we get to you,’ then we’ll stay where we are, and not go up to them. 10But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD is delivering them into our hands. That shall be our sign.” 11They both showed themselves to the Philistine outpost and the Philistines said, “Look, some Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have been hiding.” 12The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his arms-bearer, “Come up to us, and we’ll teach you a lesson.” Then Jonathan said to his arms-bearer, “Follow me, for the LORD will deliver them into the hands of Israel.” 13And Jonathan clambered up on his hands and feet, his arms-bearer behind him; [the Philistines] fell before Jonathan, and his arms-bearer finished them off behind him. 14The initial attack that Jonathan and his arms-bearer made accounted for some twenty men,b-within a space about half a furrow long [in] an acre of land.-b 15Terror broke out among all the troops both in the camp [and] in the field; the outposts and the raiders were also terrified. The very earth quaked, and a terror from God ensued.
16Saul’s scouts in Gibeah of Benjamin saw that the multitude was e-scattering in all directions.-e 17And Saul said to the troops with him, “Take a count and see who has left us.” They took a count and found that Jonathan and his arms-bearer were missing. 18Thereupon Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the Arkf of God here”; for the Arkf of God was at the time amongg the Israelites. 19But while Saul was speaking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp kept increasing; and Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20Saul and the troops with him assembled and rushed into battle; they found [the Philistines] in very great confusion, every man’s sword turned against his fellow. 21b-And the Hebrews who had previously sided with the Philistines, who had come up with them in the army [from] round about—they too joined the Israelites-b who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22When all the men of Israel who were hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too pursued them in battle. 23Thus the LORD brought victory to Israel that day.
The fighting passed beyond Beth-aven. 24h-The men of Israel were distressed-h that day. For Saul had laid an oath upon the troops: “Cursed be the man who eats any food before night falls and I take revenge on my enemies.” So none of the troops ate anything. 25Everybody came to a i-stack of beehives-i where some honey had spilled on the ground. 26When the troops came to the beehivesi and found the flow of honey there, no one putb his hand to his mouth, for the troops feared the oath. 27Jonathan, however, had not heard his father adjure the troops. So he put out the stick he had with him, dipped it into the beehive of honey, and brought his hand back to his mouth; and his eyes lit up. 28At this one of the soldiers spoke up, “Your father adjured the troops: ‘Cursed be the man who eats anything this day.’ And so the troops are faint.” 29Jonathan answered, “My father has brought trouble on the people. See for yourselves how my eyes lit up when I tasted that bit of honey. 30If only the troops had eaten today of spoil captured from the enemy, the defeat of the Philistines would have been greater still!”
31They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmas to Aijalon, and the troops were famished. 32The troops pounced on the spoil; they took the sheep and cows and calves and slaughtered them on the ground, and the troops ate with the blood.j 33When it was reported to Saul that the troops were sinning against the LORD, eating with the blood, he said, “You have acted faithlessly. Roll a large stone over to me today.”k 34And Saul ordered, “Spread out among the troops and tell them that everyone must bring me his ox or his sheep and slaughter it here, and then eat. You must not sin against the LORD and eat with the blood.” Every one of the troops brought l-his own ox with him-l that night and slaughtered it there. 35Thus Saul set up an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar he erected to the LORD.
36Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder among them until the light of morning; and let us not leave a single survivor among them.” “Do whatever you please,” they replied. But the priest said, “Let us approach God here.” 37So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hands of Israel?” But this time He did not respond to him. 38Then Saul said, “Come forward, all chief officers of the troops, and find out how this guilt was incurred today. 39For as the LORD lives who brings victory to Israel, even if it was through my son Jonathan, he shall be put to death!” Not one soldier answered him. 40And he said to all the Israelites, “You stand on one side, and my son Jonathan and I shall stand on the other.” The troops said to Saul, “Do as you please.” 41Saul then said to the LORD, the God of Israel, m-“Show
