Now it fell on a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, โCome, and let us go over to the Philistinesโ garrison, that is on the other side.โ But he didnโt tell his father.
2
Saul stayed in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people who were with him were about six hundred men;
3
including Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabodโs brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Yahweh in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. The people didnโt know that Jonathan was gone.
4
Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistinesโ garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
5
The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
6
Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, โCome, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that Yahweh will work for us; for there is no restraint on Yahweh to save by many or by few.โ
7
His armor bearer said to him, โDo all that is in your heart. Turn and, behold, I am with you according to your heart.โ
8
Then Jonathan said, โBehold, we will pass over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them.
9
If they say thus to us, โWait until we come to you!โ then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them.
10
But if they say this, โCome up to us!โ then we will go up; for Yahweh has delivered them into our hand. This shall be the sign to us.โ
11
Both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, โBehold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they had hidden themselves!โ
12
The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, โCome up to us, and we will show you something!โ
Jonathan said to his armor bearer, โCome up after me; for Yahweh has delivered them into the hand of Israel.โ
13
Jonathan climbed up on his hands and on his feet, and his armor bearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armor bearer killed them after him.
14
That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrowโs length in an acre of land.
15
There was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the raiders, also trembled; and the earth quaked, so there was an exceedingly great trembling.
16
The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and behold, the multitude melted away and scattered.
17
Then Saul said to the people who were with him, โCount now, and see who is missing from us.โ When they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.
18
Saul said to Ahijah, โBring Godโs ark here.โ For Godโs ark was with the children of Israel at that time.
19
While Saul talked to the priest, the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased; and Saul said to the priest, โWithdraw your hand!โ
20
Saul and all the people who were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle; and behold, they were all striking each other with their swords in very great confusion.
21
Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before, and who went up with them into the camp, from all around, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22
Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
23
So Yahweh saved Israel that day; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.
24
The men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, โCursed is the man who eats any food until it is evening, and I am avenged of my enemies.โ So none of the people tasted food.
25
All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground.
26
When the people had come to the forest, behold, honey was dripping, but no one put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
27
But Jonathan didnโt hear when his father commanded the people with the oath. Therefore he put out the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened.
28
Then one of the people answered, and said, โYour father directly commanded the people with an oath, saying, โCursed is the man who eats food today.โโ The people were faint.
29
Then Jonathan said, โMy father has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
30
How much more, if perhaps the people had eaten freely today of the plunder of their enemies which they found? For now has there been no great slaughter among the Philistines.โ
31
They struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint;
32
and the people pounced on the plunder, and took sheep, cattle, and calves, and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
33
Then they told Saul, saying, โBehold, the people are sinning against Yahweh, in that they eat meat with the blood.โ
He said, โYou have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today!โ
34
Saul said, โDisperse yourselves among the people, and tell them, โEvery man bring me here his ox, and every man his sheep, and kill them here, and eat; and donโt sin against Yahweh in eating meat with the blood.โโ All the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and killed them there.
35
Saul built an altar to Yahweh. This was the first altar that he built to Yahweh.
36
Saul said, โLet us go down after the Philistines by night, and take plunder among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them.โ
They said, โDo whatever seems good to you.โ
Then the priest said, โLet us draw near here to God.โ
37
Saul asked counsel of God, โShall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?โ But he didnโt answer him that day.
38
Saul said, โDraw near here, all you chiefs of the people; and know and see in which this sin has been today.
39
For, as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.โ But there was not a man among all the people who answered him.
40
Then he said to all Israel, โYou be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.โ
The people said to Saul, โDo what seems good to you.โ
41
Therefore Saul said to Yahweh, the God of Israel, โShow the right.โ
Jonathan and Saul were chosen, but the people escaped.
42
Saul said, โCast lots between me and Jonathan my son.โ
Jonathan was selected.
43
Then Saul said to Jonathan, โTell me what you have done!โ
Jonathan told him, and said, โI certainly did taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and behold, I must die.โ
44
Saul said, โGod do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.โ
45
The people said to Saul, โShall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has worked with God today!โ So the people rescued Jonathan, that he didnโt die.
46
Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place.
47
Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned himself, he defeated them.
48
He did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
49
Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.
50
The name of Saulโs wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saulโs uncle.
51
Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52
There was severe war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him into his service.
Our Online Bible tool offers fast and free access to all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.
Designed to facilitate daily study, the platform allows for fluid reading without distractions, with a clean
and modern interface that adapts to any device, whether computer, tablet, or mobile phone.
Smart Notes
Enhance your devotional with our note-taking system. You can create unlimited notes on each verse,
recording insights, sermons, and studies. Your notes are automatically saved on your device and can be
exported along with the Bible text in PDF format for printing or sharing.
Bookmarks and History
Never lose your reading place. With the Automatic History feature, you can resume exactly where you left off.
Also use the Page Bookmarks to save your favorite chapters and access them quickly
through the quick access menu or integrated search.
Personalized Experience
Care for your vision with the fully integrated Dark Mode, ideal for night reading.
Also enjoy Fullscreen Mode for total immersion in the Scriptures, eliminating all
browser interfaces to focus only on what matters: the Word of God.
Why use our Online Bible?
Developed with a focus on performance and usability, this tool is a lightweight application that does not consume
unnecessary space on your device. All personal data (notes, history, and bookmarks) are stored
locally in your browser, ensuring privacy and instant access without the need for registration or login.