Samuel Rebukes Saul

13 Saul was thirtya years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-b two years.

2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousandb were with him at Mikmashc and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeahd in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outposte at Geba,f and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpetg blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxioush to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

5 The Philistines assembledi to fight Israel, with three thousandc chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sandj on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash,k east of Beth Aven.l 6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hidm in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.n 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gado and Gilead.

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quakingp with fear. 8 He waited sevenq days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offeredr up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuels arrived, and Saul went out to greett him.

11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,u 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal,v and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.w’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

13 “You have done a foolish thing,x” Samuel said. “You have not kepty the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.z 14 But now your kingdoma will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heartb and appointedc him rulerd of his people, because you have not kepte the Lord’s command.”

15 Then Samuel left Gilgald and went up to Gibeahf in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.g

Israel Without Weapons

16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeahe h in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash. 17 Raidingi parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrahj in the vicinity of Shual, 18 another toward Beth Horon,k and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyiml facing the wilderness.

19 Not a blacksmithm could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!n” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sicklesf sharpened. 21 The price was two-thirds of a shekelg for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekelh for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathano had a sword or spearp in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines

23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the passq at Mikmash.r

14 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

2 Saul was stayings on the outskirts of Gibeaht under a pomegranate treeu in Migron.v With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’sw brother Ahitubx son of Phinehas, the son of Eli,y the Lord’s priest in Shiloh.z No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

4 On each side of the passa that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.b

6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcisedc men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothingd can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by manye or by few.f”

7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our signg that the Lord has given them into our hands.h”

11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrewsi are crawling out of the holes they were hidingj in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.k”

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the handl of Israel.”

13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Israel Routs the Philistines

15 Then panicm struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raidingn parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.a

16 Saul’s lookoutso at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.

18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bringp the arkq of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.)b 19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest,r “Withdraw your hand.”

20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, strikings each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp wentt over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hiddenu in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So on that day the Lord savedv Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.w

Jonathan Eats Honey

24 Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath,x saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food.

25 The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. 26 When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out; yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb.y He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.c 28 Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, ‘Cursed be anyone who eats food today!’ That is why the men are faint.”

29 Jonathan said, “My father has made troublez for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”

31 That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Mikmasha to Aijalon,b they were exhausted. 32 They pounced on the plunderc and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.d 33 Then someone said to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has bloode in it.”

“You have broken faith,” he said. “Roll a large stone over here at once.” 34 Then he said, “Go out among the men and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood stillf in it.’ ”

So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there. 35 Then Saul built an altarg to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this.

36 Saul said, “Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive.”

“Do whatever seems best to you,” they replied.

But the priest said, “Let us inquireh of God here.”

37 So Saul asked God, “Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?” But God did not answeri him that day.

38 Saul therefore said, “Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committedj today. 39 As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives,k even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan,l he must die.”m But not one of them said a word.

40 Saul then said to all the Israelites, “You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here.”

“Do what seems best to you,” they replied.

41 Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault,d respond with Thummim.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. 42 Saul said, “Cast the lotn between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.

43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell