Open English Translation 1 SAM Chapter 14

14 Then one day, Sha’ul’s (Saul) son Yonatan (Jonathan) said to the young man who carried his equipment, “Come on, let’s cross over to the Pelishti 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 Geva with around six-hundred warriors. 3 Ahiyah the priest was also there wearing a sacred apron. (He was son of Ahituv the brother of I-Kavod, son of Pinhas, 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 Pelishti 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 Seneh. 5 One cliff faced north toward Mikmas, and the other side faced south toward Geva.)

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 “Now listen,” 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 Pelishti unit, and the soldiers said, “Hey, look! The Ivrim (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 Yisrael (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, Pelishtim 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’ul’s (Saul) lookouts in Giveah (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 (Jonathan) 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 Pelishti 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 Pelishtim were fighting each other in total confusion. 21 Now before that time, some Ivrim (Hebrews) had joined the Pelishti camp, but now they switched alliance back to Yisrael (Israel) with Sha’ul and Yonatan. 22 Also, there had been some Israeli deserters who’d hidden in the Efrati hill country heard that the Pelishtim were fleeing, and so they too also chased and attacked them. 23 So Yahweh saved Yisrael that day, and the fighting went as far as Beyt-Aven.

24 Now the Israeli warriors were getting exhausted that day, but Sha’ul (Saul) 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 (Jonathan) 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 Pelishtim.”

31 That day they killed Pelishtim from Mikmas to Ayalon, 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 (Saul) was told, “Look, the people are sinning against Yahweh by eating meat with the blood still in it.”[ref]

“You’ve all acted treacherously,” he responded, “Now, roll a big stone over to me.” 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 Pelishtim 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 Pelishtim? Will you give Yisrael (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 Yisrael lives, even if it’s my own son Yonatan (Jonathan), 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 Yonatan 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 Yisrael’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 Yisrael 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 Pelishtim and went home, and the Pelishtim also returned to their place.

47 After Sha’ul (Saul) had taken on the kingship of Yisrael (Israel), he fought against their enemies from all around: against the Moavim, the Amonim, the Edomim, the kings of Tsovah, and against the Pelishtim. Wherever he turned, he punished his enemies. 48 He acted bravely and defeated even the Amalekim, always rescuing Yisrael from those who came in to plunder it.

49 Sha’ul’s sons were Yonatan (Jonathan), Yishvi, and Malkishua. His oldest daughter was Merav, and the younger one was Mikal. 50 His wife’s name was Ahinoam (daughter of Ahima’ats). His army commander was Avner (son of Sha’ul’s uncle Ner—51 Kish was Sha’ul’s father, and Avner’s father Ner was Aviel’s son).

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