1And it came to pass on the day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, and let us cross over to the garrison of the Philistines that is on the other side over there." But to his father he did not tell.
2And Saul was sitting at the edge of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron; and the people who were with him were about six hundred men (ish),
3and Ahijah the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of YHWH in Shiloh, was bearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4And between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the garrison of the Philistines, there was a tooth of rock on the one side and a tooth of rock on the other side; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
5The one tooth was a pillar on the north opposite Michmas, and the other on the south opposite Geba.
6And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones; perhaps YHWH will work for us, for there is no restraint to YHWH to save by many or by few."
7And the one bearing his armor said to him, "Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, behold, I am with you according to your heart."
8And Jonathan said, "Behold, we are crossing over to the men (ish), and we will reveal ourselves to them.
9If thus they say to us, 'Stand still until we reach you,' then we will stand in our place and will not go up to them.
10But if thus they say, 'Come up against us,' then we will go up; for YHWH has given them into our hand; and this is the sign (ot) to us."
11And the two of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, "Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves."
12And the men (ish) of the garrison answered Jonathan and the one bearing his armor, and said, "Come up to us, and we will make a thing known to you." And Jonathan said to the one bearing his armor, "Come up after me, for YHWH has given them into the hand of Israel."
13And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and the one bearing his armor after him; and they fell before Jonathan, and the one bearing his armor was putting them to death after him.
14And the first slaughter which Jonathan and the one bearing his armor struck was about twenty men (ish), within about half a furrow of a yoke of field.
15And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison and the raiders, they also trembled, and the earth quaked; and it became a trembling of God.
16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away, going this way and that.
17And Saul said to the people who were with him, "Number now and see who has gone from us." And they numbered, and behold, Jonathan and the one bearing his armor were not there.
18And Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring near the ark of God." For the ark of God was on that day with the sons of Israel.
19And it came to pass, while Saul spoke to the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines kept going and increasing; and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."
20And Saul and all the people who were with him were summoned together, and they came to the battle; and behold, every man's (ish) sword was against his fellow, a very great confusion.
21And the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines as yesterday and before, who had gone up with them into the camp round about, they also turned to be with Israel who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22And every man (ish) of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, and they also followed hard after them in the battle.
23And YHWH saved Israel on that day; and the battle passed over beyond Beth-aven.
24And the men (ish) of Israel were hard pressed on that day; for Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, "Cursed be the man (ish) who eats food until the evening, and I am avenged of my enemies." So none of the people tasted food.
25And all the land came into the forest; and there was honey upon the face of the field.
26And the people came into the forest, and behold, a flowing of honey; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
27But Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people with the oath; and he put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and returned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
28And one man (ish) of the people answered and said, "Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man (ish) who eats food this day.'" And the people were faint.
29And Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land; see now how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.
30How much more if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter has not been great among the Philistines."
31And they struck the Philistines on that day from Michmas to Aijalon; and the people were very faint.
32And the people pounced upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate with the blood.
33And they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people are sinning against YHWH by eating with the blood." And he said, "You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me this day."
34And Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, 'Bring near to me each man (ish) his ox and each man (ish) his sheep, and slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against YHWH by eating with the blood.'" And all the people brought near, each man (ish) his ox in his hand that night, and slaughtered them there.
35And Saul built an altar to YHWH; it was the first altar he began to build to YHWH.
36And Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder among them until the light of the morning, and let us not leave a man (ish) among them." And they said, "Do all that is good in your eyes." Then the priest said, "Let us draw near here to God."
37And Saul asked of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But he did not answer him on that day.
38And Saul said, "Draw near here, all you chief men of the people; and know and see how this sin has happened this day.
39For as YHWH lives (chai), who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But there was no one among all the people who answered him.
40And he said to all Israel, "You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side." And the people said to Saul, "Do what is good in your eyes."
41And Saul said to YHWH, the God of Israel, "Give what is perfect." And Jonathan and Saul were taken, and the people went out.
42And Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.
43And Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." And Jonathan told him and said, "I surely tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I will die."
44And Saul said, "So may God do, and so may he add, for you shall surely die, Jonathan."
45And the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation (yeshuah) in Israel? Far be it! As YHWH lives (chai), not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has wrought with God this day." So the people ransomed Jonathan, and he did not die.
46And Saul went up from after the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their place.
47And Saul took the kingship over Israel, and he fought round about against all his enemies: against Moab, and against the sons of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment.
48And he acted with valor, and struck Amalek, and delivered Israel from the hand of its plunderer.
49And the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.
50And the name of the wife (ishah) of Saul was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz; and the name of the captain of his host was Abner the son of Ner, the uncle of Saul.
51And Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52And the war was strong against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man (ish) or any son of valor, he gathered him to himself.