1 Kings 14

¹And it chanced on a certain day, that Jonathas the son of Saul said to the young man that bare his armour: Come and Let us pass to the garrison of the Philisthiims, which is beyond yonder place. But to his father he told not this same thing.

²Moreover Saul abode in the utmost part of Gabaa under the pomegranate tree, which was in Magron: and the people with him was about six hundred men.

³And Achias the son of Achitob the brother of Ichabod the son of Phinees, which was born of Heli the Priest of our Lord in Silo, bare the ephod. But the people also was ignorant whither Jonathas was gone.

⁴And there were between the ascents, by the which Jonathas endeavoured to pass unto the garrison of the Philisthiims, rocks standing up on both sides, and as it were in manner of teeth steep broken rocks on either side, the name of one Boses, and the name of the other Sene:

⁵one rock standing out toward the North over-against Machmas, and the other to the South, against Gabaa.

⁶And Jonathas said to the young man that bare his armour: Come, let us pass to the station of these uncircumcised, if happily our Lord will make for us: because it is not hard for our Lord to save either in many or in few.

⁷And his esquire said to him: Do all things which please thy mind: go whither thou desirest, and I will be with thee wheresoever thou wilt.

⁸And Jonathas said: Behold we pass to these men. And when we shall appear to them,

⁹if they shall speak to us in this manner: Tarry till we come to you: let us stand in our place, & not go up to them.

¹⁰But if they shall say: Come up to us: let us go up, because our Lord hath delivered them in our hands, this shall be a sign unto us.

¹¹Both of them therefore appeared to the station of the Philisthiims: and the Philisthiims said: Behold the Hebrews come out of the caves, wherein they were hid.

¹²And the men of the garrison spake to Jonathas and to his esquire, and said: Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathas said to his esquire: Let us go up, follow me: for our Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Israel.

¹³And Jonathas went up on his hands and feet creeping, and his esquire after him. Therefore some fell before Jonathas, other some his esquire following slew.

¹⁴And the first slaughter, which Jonathas and his esquire made, was as it were of twenty men, in the half part of an acre, which a yoke of oxen is wont to plough in a day.

¹⁵And there was made a miracle in the camp, through the fields: yea and all the people of their garrison which had gone to take preys, was astonished, and the land was troubled: and it happened as a miracle from God.

¹⁶And the watchmen of Saul, which were in Gabaa of Benjamin, looked, and lo a multitude overthrown, and flying hither and thither.

¹⁷And Saul said to the people, which was with him: Inquire, and see who is gone from us. And when they had sought, it was found that Jonathas was not present and his esquire.

¹⁸And Saul said to Achias: Bring the ark of our Lord. (for the ark of God was there that day with the children of Israel.)

¹⁹And when Saul spake to the Priest, there arose a great tumult in the camp of the Philisthiims: and it grew by little and little, and sounded more clearly. And Saul said to the Priest: Draw together thy hand.

²⁰Saul therefore and all the people that was with him shouted together, and they came to the place of the fight: and behold every man's sword had been turned to his neighbour, and a slaughter exceeding great.

²¹But the Hebrews also which had been with the Philisthiims yesterday and the day before, and went up with them in the camp, returned to be with Israel, which were with Saul and Jonathas.

²²All the Israelites also which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, hearing that the Philisthiims were fled, joined themselves with their fellows in battle. And there were with Saul as it were ten thousand men.

²³And our Lord in that day saved Israel. And the fight reached as far as Bethaven.

²⁴And the men of Israel were joined among themselves in that day: and Saul adjured the people, saying: Cursed be the man that shall eat bread until evening, till I be revenged of mine enemies. And the whole people did eat no bread:

²⁵and all the common people of the land came into a forest, wherein was honey upon the face of the field.

²⁶The people therefore entered into the forest, and there appeared dropping honey, and no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

²⁷But Jonathas had not heard when his father adjured the people: & he put forth the tip of the rod which he had in his hand, and dipped it into a honey comb: and he turned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were illuminated.

²⁸And one of the people answering, said: Thy father hath bound the people with an oath, saying: Cursed be the man that shall eat bread this day. (And the people was faint).

²⁹And Jonathas said: My father hath troubled the land: yourselves have seen that mine eyes are illuminated, because I have tasted a little of this honey:

³⁰how much more if the people had eaten of the prey of their enemies, which they found? Had there not been made a greater plague in the Philisthiims?

³¹They struck therefore in that day the Philisthiims from Machmas unto Aialon. And the people was wearied exceedingly:

³²and being turned to the prey took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat with blood.

³³And they told Saul saying that the people had sinned to our Lord, eating with blood. Who said: You have transgressed: Roll to me even now a great stone.

³⁴And Saul said: Disperse yourselves among the common people, and tell them that every man bring me his oxe and ram, and kill ye them upon this same, and eat, and you shall not sin to our Lord eating with blood. All the people therefore brought every man his oxe in his hand until night: and slew them there.

³⁵And Saul built an altar to our Lord; and then first did he begin to build an altar to our Lord.

³⁶And Saul said: Let us fall upon the Philisthiims by night, and let us spoil them till it wax light in the morning, neither let us leave a man of them. And the people said: Do all that seemeth good in thine eyes. And the Priest said: Let us approach hither to God.

³⁷And Saul consulted our Lord: Shall I pursue the Philistiims? Wilt thou deliver them into the hands of Israel? And he answered him not in that day.

³⁸And Saul said: Bring hither all the corners of the people: and know, and see by whom this sin hath chanced today.

³⁹Our Lord the Savior of Israel liveth, that if it were done by Jonathas my son, he shall die without revoking. Whereunto none of the people gainsaid him.

⁴⁰And he said to all Israel: Be you separated into one side, and I with Jonathas my son will be on the other side. And the people answered Saul: Do what seemeth good in thine eyes.

⁴¹And Saul said to our Lord: Lord God of Israel, give a sign: and Jonathas was caught and Saul, and the people went forth.

⁴²And Saul said: Cast ye lot between me, and Jonathas my son. And Jonathas was taken.

⁴³And Saul said to Jonathas: Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathas told him, and said: Tasting I tasted in the tip of the rod which was in mine hand a little honey, & behold I die.

⁴⁴And Saul said: These things do God to me, & these things add he, that dying thou shalt die Jonathas.

⁴⁵And the people said to Saul: Shall Jonathas then die, which hath made this great salvation in Israel? This is unlawful: our Lord liveth, if there shall fall a hair from his head upon the ground, because with God hath he wrought today. The people therefore delivered Jonathas, that he should not die.

⁴⁶And Saul retired, neither did he pursue the Philistiims: moreover the Philistiims departed into their places.

⁴⁷And Saul, his kingdom being established over Israel, fought round about against all his enemies, against Moab, & the children of Ammon, and Edom, and the kings of Soba, and the Philisthians: and whither soever he turned himself, he overcame.

⁴⁸And gathering together an army, he struck Amalec, and delivered Israel from the hand of the spoilers thereof.

⁴⁹And the sons of Saul, were Jonathas and Jesui, and Melchisua: and the names of his two daughters, the name of the first born Merob, and the name of the younger Michol.

⁵⁰And the name of Saul's wife, Achinoam the daughter of Achimaas: and the name of the Prince of his host Abner, the son of Ner, the cousin german of Saul by the father.

⁵¹Moreover Cis was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner, the son of Abiel.

⁵²And there was mighty battle against the Philisthians all the days of Saul. For whomsoever Saul had seen a valiant man, and fit for battle, he joined him to himself.