Open English Translation 1SA Chapter 14

14 Then one day, Sha’uls son Yonatan said to the young man who carried his equipment, “Come, and let’s cross over to the Philistine unit that’s over on the opposite side.” But he didn’t tell his father. 2 Meanwhile, Sha’ul was still waiting under the pomegranate tree in Migron on the outskirts of Geba with around six-hundred warriors. 3 Ahiyah the priest was also there wearing a sacred apron. (He was son of Ahitub the brother of Ikabod, son of Finehas, son of Eli, Yahweh’s priest at Shiloh.) But the people didn’t know that Yonatan had gone.

4 Meanwhile, for Yonatan to get to the Philistine garrison, they had to go through a narrow pass between two cliffs. (The cliff on one side was named Botsets, and the other was named Senneh. 5 One cliff faced north toward Mikmas, and the other side faced south toward Geba.)

6 Yonatan said to his servant carrying his equipment, “Come on. Let’s pass over to that group of these uncircumcised ones. Perhaps Yahweh will help us, because it doesn’t matter to him whether he saves using many people or just a few.”

7 “Do everything that you feel is right,” he responded. “Go on ahead and be confident that I’ll be there supporting you.”

8 “Listen then,” Yonatan said. “We’ll cross over and then reveal ourselves to them. 9 Then if they tell us, ‘Stay there until we get down to you,’ then we’ll stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come on up to us,’ then we’ll go up, because that’ll be the sign to us that Yahweh will help us overpower them.”

11 So the two of them revealed themselves to the Philistine unit, and the soldiers said, “Hey, look. The Hebrews are coming out from the holes there where they’ve hidden themselves.” 12 Then some of the men called to Yonatan and his servant, “Come on up here to us and we’ll teach you a thing or two.”

“Come on up behind me,” Yonatan told his servant, “because Yahweh has already declared Israel to be the victor.” 13 So Yonatan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his servant following behind him. Then at the top, Yonatan struck them down with his sword while his servant followed behind and killed them. 14 In that first offensive, Yonatan and his servant killed about twenty men in an area of around 30m square. 15 At that time, Philistines in the camp started getting the jitters, then all the people and even raiding parties. Then the ground shook, and it turned into a God-given panic.

16 Sha’uls lookouts in Gibeah (in Benyamite territory) saw to their surprise that their opponents were starting to scatter in every direction. 17 “Count our people and see who’s missing,” Sha’ul commanded, so they called the roll and wow, it was Yonatan and his servant who weren’t accounted for. 18 “Bring the sacred chest here,” Sha’ul told Ahiyah the priest, because the Israelis had control of it again at that time. 19 But even as Sha’ul was speaking to him, the confusion in the Philistine camp was continually increasing, and Sha’ul told him, “Oh, don’t worry about it.” 20 Then he called his warriors together and they went forward to battle. To their surprise, the Philistines were fighting each other in total confusion. 21 Now before that time, some Hebrews had joined the Philistine camp, but now they switched alliance back to Israel with Sha’ul and Yonatan. 22 Also, there had been some Israeli deserters who’d hidden in the Efraimite hill country heard that the Philistines were fleeing, and so they too also chased and attacked them. 23 So Yahweh saved Israel that day, and the fighting went as far as Beyt-Aven.

24 Now the Israeli warriors were getting exhausted that day, but Sha’ul had made the them promise, “We need to avenge our enemies. Anyone who eats food before the evening is cursed.” 25 But when they reached the forest, there was honeycomb on the ground. 26 Although the warriors entered the forest and saw the honey, none of them tasted any because they were afraid of the curse. 27 But Yonatan hadn’t heard his father’s oath, so he dipped his staff into the honeycomb and ate some honey and felt rejuvenated. 28 However, someone noticed it and mentioned, “Your father made the people promise, ‘Anyone who eats food today will be cursed.’ So the people are faint.”

29 “My father’s caused trouble for us,” Yonatan responded. “See how much better I feel now because I tasted a little bit of this honey. 30 Actually, if the troops had eaten what they’d found from the plunder of their enemies today, how much better it would have been because we might have had an even more decisive victory over the Philistines.”

31 That day they killed Philistines from Mikmas to Ayyalon, but the fighters were totally exhausted. 32 They rushed greedily at the plunder, grabbing sheep, cattle, and calves which they slaughtered right there and ate with the blood still in them. 33 Then King Sha’ul was told, “Look, the people are sinning against Yahweh by eating meat with the blood still in it.”

“You’ve all acted treacherously,” he responded, “Now, roll a big stone over to me.”[ref] 34 Then he said, “Go out among the warriors and tell them to bring their animals over here to slaughter and to eat, so they don’t sin against Yahweh by eating meat with the blood still in it.” So the people brought their animals over and slaughtered them there. 35 Then Sha’ul built an altar to Yahweh—it was the first one he built.

36 Then Sha’ul said, “Let’s go after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until the light of morning. Let’s not leave any of them alive.”

“Do what you feel is right,” they responded.

But the priest said, “Let’s ask God here first.”

37 So Sha’ul asked God, “Should we go after the Philistines? Will you give Israel victory over them?” But Yahweh didn’t answer him that day. 38 Then Sha’ul commanded, “All you leaders of the warriors. Gather here so we can find out what sin was committed today. 39 As Yahweh who saves Israel lives, even if it’s my own son Yonatan, whoever sinned today will certainly die.” But the people didn’t volunteer any information. 40 “You all can be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side,” Sha’ul said.

“Do whatever feels right to you,” the people replied.

41 Then Sha’ul asked Israel’s God Yahweh, “Show us the truth.” And Sha’ul and Yonatan were selected—not the people.[ref] 42 Then Sha’ul asked again, “Choose between me and my son Yonatan.” And Yonatan was selected. 43 Sha’ul demanded from Yonatan, “Tell me what you’ve done.”

“Actually,” Yonatan answered, “I did taste some honey from the end of my staff, so take me—I’m ready to die.”

44 “May God do to me whatever he wants,” Sha’ul said. “because you will certainly die, Yonatan.”

45 But the people stood up to Sha’ul, “Should Yonatan die? Wasn’t it him who saved Israel today? We won’t stand for it. As Yahweh lives, not even a hair on his head will be touched because he worked with God today.” And so the people rescued Yonatan and he wasn’t executed.

46 Then Sha’ul stopped chasing the Philistines and went home, and the Philistines also returned to their place.

47 After Sha’ul had taken on the kingship of Israel, he fought against their enemies from all around: against the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he punished his enemies. 48 He acted bravely and defeated even the Amalekites, always rescuing Israel from those who came in to plunder it.

49 Sha’ul’s sons were Yonatan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. His oldest daughter was Merab, and the younger one was Mikal. 50 His wife’s name was Ahinoam (daughter of Ahima’ats). His army commander was Abner (son of Sha’ul’s uncle Ner— 51 Kish was Sha’uls father, and Abner’s father Ner was Abiel’s son).

52 The conflict with the Philistines was intensive for all of Sha’uls life, so whenever he saw a good warrior or any strong, young man, then he would conscript them.