1 Samuel 14
Now it fell on a day, that Jonathan Ibn Talut said to the young man who bore his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he didn't tell his father. 2Talut stayed in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people who were with him were about six hundred men; 3and Ahijah Ibn Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, Ibn Phinehas, Ibn Eli, the priest of Allah in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. The people didn't know that Jonathan was gone. 4Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' 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. 5The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. 6Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armour, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that Allah will work for us; for there is no restraint to Allah to save by many or by few. 7His armour-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart: go ahead, I am with you according to your heart. 8Then Jonathan said, Listen, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9If they say to us, Wait until we come to you; then we will stay in our place, and not go up to them. 10But if they say, Come up to us; then we will go up; for Allah has delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign to us. 11Both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they had hid themselves. 12The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armour-bearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you something. Jonathan said to his armour-bearer, Come up after me; for Allah has delivered them into the hand of Israel. 13Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armour-bearer after him: and the Philistines fell before Jonathan; and his armour-bearer killed them after him. 14That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armour-bearer made, was about twenty men, within half a furrow's length in an acre of land. 15There was a panic in the Philistine camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the spoilers, they were afraid; and the earth quaked: so there was a very great panic. 16The watchmen of Talut in Gibeah of Binyamin looked; and the multitude melted away, and they went here and there. 17Then Talut said to the people who were with him, Call the roll, and see who is gone from us. When they had called the roll, Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not there. 18Talut said to Ahijah, Bring here the ark of God. For the ark of God was there at that time with Bani-Israel. 19It happened, while Talut talked to the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Talut said to the priest, Withdraw your hand. 20Talut and all the people who were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and they saw every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great confusion. 21Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before, and who went up with them into the camp, from the country all around, they turned and joined the Israelites who were with Talut and Jonathan. 22Likewise all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. 23So Allah saved Israel that day: and the battle moved by Beth Aven. 24The men of Israel were distressed that day; for Talut had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food until evening, and I be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted food. 25All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground. 26When the people were come to the forest, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath. 27But Jonathan didn't hear when his father charged the people with the oath: therefore he put forth the end of the rod in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened. 28Then one of the people said, Your father directly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man who eats food this day. The people were faint. 29Then Jonathan said, My father has troubled the land. Please look 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 there has been no great slaughter among the Philistines. 31They struck of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint; 32and the people pounced on the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. 33Then they told Talut, saying, Behold, the people sin against Allah, in that they eat with the blood. He said, you have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone to me this day. 34Talut said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and tell them, Bring me here every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and kill them here, and eat; and do not sin against Allah in eating with the blood. All the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and killed them there. 35Talut built an altar to Allah: this was the first altar that he built to Allah. 36Talut said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and take spoil 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. 37Talut asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel? But God didn't answer him that day. 38Talut said, Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people; and know and see where this sin has been this day. 39For, as Allah lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. 40Then 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 Talut, Do what seems good to you. 41Therefore Talut said to Allah, the God of Israel, Reveal the truth. Jonathan and Talut were taken by lot; but the people escaped. 42Talut said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. Jonathan was taken. 43Then Talut said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. Jonathan told him, and said, I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and now I must die. 44Talut said, God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan. 45The people said to Talut, Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it: as Allah lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he didn't die. 46Then Talut went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place. 47Now when Talut 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: and wherever he turned himself, he put them to the worse. 48He did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who despoiled them. 49Now the sons of Talut were Jonathan, and 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: 50and the name of Talut's wife was Ahinoam Bint Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner Ibn Ner, Talut's uncle. 51Kish was the father of Talut; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. 52There was great war against the Philistines all the days of Talut: and when Talut saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him to him.