1 Samuel 14

The Attack Begins 1 Samuel 14:7–14

⁷Verse 7. His armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Turn and, behold, I am with you according to your heart.” ⁸Verse 8. Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them. ⁹Verse 9. If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you!’ then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them. ¹⁰Verse 10. But if they say this, ‘Come up to us!’ then we will go up; for Yahweh has delivered them into our hand. This shall be the sign to us.” ¹¹Verse 11. Both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, “Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they had hidden themselves!”

¹²Verse 12. The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something!” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me; for Yahweh has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” ¹³Verse 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. ¹⁴Verse 14. That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land.

God's Intervention 1 Samuel 14:15–23

¹⁵Verse 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. ¹⁶Verse 16. The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and behold, the multitude melted away and scattered. ¹⁷Verse 17. Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count now, and see who is missing from us.” When they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there. ¹⁸Verse 18. Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring God’s ark here.” For God’s ark was with the children of Israel at that time.

¹⁹Verse 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, “Withdraw your hand!” ²⁰Verse 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. ²¹Verse 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. ²²Verse 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.

²³Verse 23. So Yahweh saved Israel that day; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.

Saul's Oath and Its Consequences 1 Samuel 14:24–30

²⁴Verse 24. The men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until it is evening, and I am avenged of my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. ²⁵Verse 25. All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground. ²⁶Verse 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. ²⁷Verse 27. But Jonathan didn’t 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.

²⁸Verse 28. Then one of the people answered, and said, “Your father directly commanded the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’” The people were faint. ²⁹Verse 29. Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰Verse 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.”

Aftermath of Battle 1 Samuel 14:31–46

³¹Verse 31. They struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint; ³²Verse 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. ³³Verse 33. Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are sinning against Yahweh, in that they eat meat with the blood.” He said, “You have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today!” ³⁴Verse 34. Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and tell them, ‘Every man bring me here his ox, and every man his sheep, and kill them here, and eat; and don’t sin against Yahweh in eating meat with the blood.’” All the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and killed them there.

³⁵Verse 35. Saul built an altar to Yahweh. This was the first altar that he built to Yahweh. ³⁶Verse 36. Saul said, “Let 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.” They said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” Then the priest said, “Let us draw near here to God.” ³⁷Verse 37. Saul asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But he didn’t answer him that day. ³⁸Verse 38. Saul said, “Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people; and know and see in which this sin has been today.

³⁹Verse 39. For, as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. ⁴⁰Verse 40. Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” The people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” ⁴¹Verse 41. Therefore Saul said to Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Show the right.” Jonathan and Saul were chosen, but the people escaped. ⁴²Verse 42. Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” Jonathan was selected. ⁴³Verse 43. Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done!” Jonathan told him, and said, “I certainly did taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and behold, I must die.”

⁴⁴Verse 44. Saul said, “God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.” ⁴⁵Verse 45. The people said to Saul, “Shall 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!” So the people rescued Jonathan, that he didn’t die. ⁴⁶Verse 46. Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul’s Military Leadership 1 Samuel 14:47–52

⁴⁷Verse 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. ⁴⁸Verse 48. He did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them. ⁴⁹Verse 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. ⁵⁰Verse 50. The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.

⁵¹Verse 51. Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. ⁵²Verse 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.