14One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come on, let's go over to where the Philistines have their outpost." But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing.H3117H3129H1121H7586H559H5288H5375H3627H3212H5674H6430H4673H5676H1975H5046H12Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron.H7586H3427H7097H1390H7416H4051H5971H8337H3967H3763Among Saul's men was Ahijah the priest, who was wearing the ephod, the priestly vest. Ahijah was the son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the LORD who had served at Shiloh. No one realized that Jonathan had left the Israelite camp.H281H1121H285H350H251H1121H6372H1121H5941H3068H3548H7887H5375H646H5971H3045H3129H19804To reach the Philistine outpost, Jonathan had to go down between two rocky cliffs that were called Bozez and Seneh.H4569H3129H1245H5674H6430H4673H8127H5553H5676H8127H5553H5676H8034H259H949H8034H259H55735The cliff on the north was in front of Micmash, and the one on the south was in front of Geba.H8127H259H4690H6828H4136H4363H259H5045H4136H13876"Let's go across to the outpost of those pagans," Jonathan said to his armor bearer. "Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!"H3083H559H5288H5375H3627H3212H5674H4673H6189H3068H6213H4622H3068H3467H7227H45927"Do what you think is best," the armor bearer replied. "I'm with you completely, whatever you decide."H5375H3627H559H6213H3824H5186H38248"All right then," Jonathan told him. "We will cross over and let them see us.H559H3083H5674H582H15409If they say to us, 'Stay where you are or we'll kill you,' then we will stop and not go up to them.H559H1826H5060H5975H592710But if they say, 'Come on up and fight,' then we will go up. That will be the LORD's sign that he will help us defeat them."H559H5927H5927H3068H5414H3027H22611When the Philistines saw them coming, they shouted, "Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!"H8147H1540H4673H6430H6430H559H5680H3318H2356H224412Then the men from the outpost shouted to Jonathan, "Come on up here, and we'll teach you a lesson!" "Come on, climb right behind me," Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "for the LORD will help us defeat them!"H582H4675H6030H3129H5375H3627H559H5927H3045H1697H3129H559H5375H3627H5927H310H3068H5414H3027H347813So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed those who came behind them.H3129H5927H3027H7272H5375H3627H310H5307H6440H3129H5375H3627H4191H31014They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.H7223H4347H3129H5375H3627H5221H6242H376H2677H4618H7704H677615Suddenly, panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in the camp and in the field, including even the outposts and raiding parties. And just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified.H2731H4264H7704H5971H4673H7843H2729H776H7264H430H273116Saul's lookouts in Gibeah of Benjamin saw a strange sight—the vast army of Philistines began to melt away in every direction.H6822H7586H1390H1144H7200H1995H4127H3212H198617"Call the roll and find out who's missing," Saul ordered. And when they checked, they found that Jonathan and his armor bearer were gone.H559H7586H5971H6485H7200H1980H6485H3129H5375H362718Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, "Bring the ephod here!" For at that time Ahijah was wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites.H7586H559H281H5066H727H430H727H430H3117H1121H347819But while Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, "Never mind; let's get going!"H7586H1696H3548H1995H4264H6430H3212H1980H7227H7586H559H3548H622H302720Then Saul and all his men rushed out to the battle and found the Philistines killing each other. There was terrible confusion everywhere.H7586H5971H2199H935H4421H376H2719H7453H3966H1419H410321Even the Hebrews who had previously gone over to the Philistine army revolted and joined in with Saul, Jonathan, and the rest of the Israelites.H5680H6430H865H8032H5927H4264H5439H3478H7586H312922Likewise, the men of Israel who were hiding in the hill country of Ephraim joined the chase when they saw the Philistines running away.H376H3478H2244H2022H669H8085H6430H5127H1692H310H442123So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle continued to rage even beyond Beth-aven.H3068H3467H3478H3117H4421H5674H100724Now the men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had placed them under an oath, saying, "Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies." So no one ate anything all day,H376H3478H5065H3117H7586H422H5971H559H779H376H398H3899H6153H5358H341H5971H2938H389925even though they had all found honeycomb on the ground in the forest.H776H935H3293H1706H6440H770426They didn't dare touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken.H5971H935H3293H1706H1982H5381H3027H6310H5971H3372H762127But Jonathan had not heard his father's command, and he dipped the end of his stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey. After he had eaten it, he felt refreshed.H3129H8085H1H7650H5971H7650H7971H7097H4294H3027H2881H3295H1706H7725H3027H6310H5869H21528But one of the men saw him and said, "Your father made the army take a strict oath that anyone who eats food today will be cursed. That is why everyone is weary and faint."H6030H376H5971H559H1H7650H7650H5971H7650H559H779H376H398H3899H3117H5971H577429"My father has made trouble for us all!" Jonathan exclaimed. "A command like that only hurts us. See how refreshed I am now that I have eaten this little bit of honey.H559H3129H1H5916H776H7200H5869H215H2938H4592H170630If the men had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more Philistines we could have killed!"H637H3863H5971H398H398H3117H7998H341H4672H7235H4347H643031They chased and killed the Philistines all day from Micmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint.H5221H6430H3117H4363H357H5971H3966H577432That evening they rushed for the battle plunder and butchered the sheep, goats, cattle, and calves, but they ate them without draining the blood.H5971H5860H6213H7998H3947H6629H1241H1121H7819H776H5971H398H181833Someone reported to Saul, "Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that still has blood in it." "That is very wrong," Saul said. "Find a large stone and roll it over here.H5046H7586H559H5971H2398H3068H398H1818H559H898H1556H1419H68H311734Then go out among the troops and tell them, 'Bring the cattle, sheep, and goats here to me. Kill them here, and drain the blood before you eat them. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.'" So that night all the troops brought their animals and slaughtered them there.H7586H559H6327H5971H559H5066H376H7794H376H7716H7819H398H2398H3068H398H1818H5971H5066H376H7794H3027H3915H781935Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first of the altars he built to the LORD.H7586H1129H4196H3068H2490H4196H1129H306836Then Saul said, "Let's chase the Philistines all night and plunder them until sunrise. Let's destroy every last one of them." His men replied, "We'll do whatever you think is best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God first."H7586H559H3381H310H6430H3915H962H1242H216H7604H376H559H6213H5869H2896H559H3548H7126H1988H43037So Saul asked God, "Should we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?" But God made no reply that day.H7586H7592H430H3381H310H6430H5414H3027H3478H6030H311738Then Saul said to the leaders, "Something's wrong! I want all my army commanders to come here. We must find out what sin was committed today.H7586H559H5066H1988H6438H5971H3045H7200H4100H2403H311739I vow by the name of the LORD who rescued Israel that the sinner will surely die, even if it is my own son Jonathan!" But no one would tell him what the trouble was.H3068H2416H3467H3478H3426H3129H1121H4191H4191H5971H603040Then Saul said, "Jonathan and I will stand over here, and all of you stand over there." And the people responded to Saul, "Whatever you think is best."H559H3478H259H5676H3129H1121H259H5676H5971H559H7586H6213H5869H289641Then Saul prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent." Then they cast sacred lots, and Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent.H7586H559H3068H430H3478H3051H8549H7586H3129H3920H5971H331842Then Saul said, "Now cast lots again and choose between me and Jonathan." And Jonathan was shown to be the guilty one.H7586H559H5307H3129H1121H3129H392043"Tell me what you have done," Saul demanded of Jonathan. "I tasted a little honey," Jonathan admitted. "It was only a little bit on the end of my stick. Does that deserve death?"H7586H559H3129H5046H6213H3129H5046H559H2938H2938H4592H1706H7097H4294H3027H2009H419144"Yes, Jonathan," Saul said, "you must die! May God strike me and even kill me if you do not die for this."H7586H559H430H6213H3254H4191H4191H312945But the people broke in and said to Saul, "Jonathan has won this great victory for Israel. Should he die? Far from it! As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair on his head will be touched, for God helped him do a great deed today." So the people rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.H5971H559H7586H3129H4191H6213H1419H3444H3478H2486H3068H2416H8185H7218H5307H776H6213H430H3117H5971H6299H3129H419146Then Saul called back the army from chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines returned home.H7586H5927H310H6430H6430H1980H472547Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction—against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he was victorious.H7586H3920H4410H3478H3898H341H5439H4124H1121H5983H123H4428H6678H6430H6437H756148He performed great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them.H6213H2428H5221H6002H5337H3478H3027H815449Saul's sons included Jonathan, Ishbosheth, and Malkishua. He also had two daughters: Merab, who was older, and Michal.H1121H7586H3129H3440H4444H8034H8147H1323H8034H1067H4764H8034H6996H432450Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul's army was Abner, the son of Saul's uncle Ner.H8034H7586H802H293H1323H290H8034H8269H6635H74H1121H5369H7586H173051Saul's father, Kish, and Abner's father, Ner, were both sons of Abiel.H7027H1H7586H5369H1H74H1121H2252The Israelites fought constantly with the Philistines throughout Saul's lifetime. So whenever Saul observed a young man who was brave and strong, he drafted him into his army.H2389H4421H6430H3117H7586H7586H7200H1368H376H2428H1121H622
Dublin, OH
at Migron.H7586
