14 Ionathán and his armour bearer put the Philiſtims to flight. 24 Saúl bindeth the people by an othe, not to eat til euening. 32 The people eat with the blood. 38 Saúl wolde put Ionathán to death. 45 The people deliuer him.

1.THen on ^a day Ionathán the ſonne of Saúl ſaid vnto the yong man that bare his armour, ^a Come and let vs go ouer toward the Philiſtíms gariſon, that is yonder on the other ſide, but he tolde not his father.

2.And Saúl taryed in the border of Gibeáh vnder a pomegranate tre, which was in Migrón, and the people that were with him, were about ſix hundreth men.

3.And Ahiáh the ſonne of Ahitúb, ^* Ichabods brother, the ſonne of Phinehás, the ſonne of Elí, was the Lords Prieſt in Shilóh, and ware an Ephód: and the people knewe not that Ionathán was gone.

4.¶ Now in the way whereby Ionathán foght to go ouer to ŷ Philiſtíms gariſon, there was a ſharpe rocke on the one ſide, ^" and a ſharpe rocke on the other ſide: the name of the one was called Bozéz, & the name of the other Séneh.

5.The one rocke ſtretched frō the North toward Michmáſh, & the other was from the South toward Gibeáh.

6.And Ionathán ſaid to the yong man that bare his armour, Come, and let vs go ouer vnto the gariſon of theſe ^b vncircumciſed: it may be that the Lord wil worke with vs: for it is [']not hard to the Lord ^* to ſaue with manie, or with fewe.

7.And he that bare his armour, ſaid vnto him, do all that is in thine heart: go where it pleaſeth thee: beholde, ^c I am with thee as thine heart deſireth.

8.Then ſaid Ionathán, Beholde, we go ouer vnto thoſe men, and wil ſhewe our ſelues vnto them.

9.^d If they ſay on this wiſe to vs, Tarie vntil we come to you, then we wil ſtand ſtil in our place, and not go vp to them.

10.But if they ſay, Come vp vnto vs, then we wil go vp: for ^* the Lord hathe deliuered them into our hand: and this ſhalbe a ſigne vnto vs.

11.So they bothe ſhewed them ſelues vnto the gariſon of the Philiſtíms: and the Philiſtíms ſaid, Se, the Ebrewes come out of ŷ ^e holes wherein they had hid thē ſelues.

12.And the men of the gariſon anſwered Ionathán, & his armour bearer, and ſaid, Come vp to vs: for we wil ſhewe you a thing. Then Ionathán ſaid vnto his armour bearer, Come vp after me: for the Lord hathe deliuered them into the hand of Iſraél.

13.So Ionathán went vp vpon ^f his hands and vpon his fete, and his armour bearer after him: and ſome fel before Ionathán, & his armour bearer flewe others after him.

14.So the ^g firſt ſlaughter which Ionathán and his armour bearer made, was about twentie mē within that cōpaſſe, as it were within halfe an acre of land which two oxen plowe.

15.And there was a feare in the hoſte, and in the field, and amōg all the people: the gariſon alſo, and they that went out to ſpoile, were afrayed them ſelues: and the earth ^h trembled: for it was ſtricken with feare by God.

16.¶ The the watchmen of Saúl in Gibeáh of Beniamín ſawe: and beholde, the multitude was diſcomfited, and ſmitten as they went.

17.Therefore ſaid Saúl vnto the people that were with him, Search now & ſe, who is gone from vs. And whẽ they had nombred, beholde, Ionathán and his armour bearer were not there.

18.And Saúl ſaid vnto Ahiáh, Bring hither the Arke of God (for y^e Arke of God was at that time with the children of Iſraél)

19.¶ And while Saúl talked vnto the Prieſt, the noiſe, that was in the hoſte of the Philiſtíms, ſpred farther abroade, & encreaſed: therefore Saúl ſaid vnto the Prieſt, ⁱ Withdrawe thine hand.

20.And Saúl was aſſembled with all the people that were with him, and they came to the battel: & beholde, ^* euerie mans ſworde was againſt his fellowe, and there was a very great diſcomfiture.

21.Moreouer y^e Ebrewes that were with the Philiſtíms before time, & were come with them into all partes of the hoſte, euẽ they alſo turned to be with the ^k Iſraelites that were with Saúl and Ionathán.

22.Alſo all the men of Iſraél which had hid them ſelues in mount Ephráim when they heard, that the Philiſtíms were fled, they followed after them in the battel.

23.And ſo the Lord ſaued Iſraél that day: and the battel continued vnto Beth-áuen.

24.¶ And at that time the men of Iſraél were preſſed with hunger: for Saúl charged the people with an othe, ſaying, ^l Curſed be the man y^e eateth ^m foode til nyght, that I may be auenged of mine enemies: ſo none of the people taſted anie ſuſtenance.

25.And all they of the lãd came to a wood, where hony lay vpon the ground.

26.And the people came into the wood, & beholde, the hony dropped, and no man moued his hãd to his mouth: for the people feared the ⁿ othe.

27.But Ionathán heard not when his father charged the people with the othe: wherefore he put forthe the end of the rod that was in his hãd, and dipt it in an hony cõbe, and put his hand to his mouth, and his ^* eyes receyued fight.

28.Then anſwered one of the people, and ſaid, Thy father made y^e people to ſweare, ſaying, Curſed be the man that eateth ſuſtenance this day: and the people were ^" faint.

29.Then ſaid Ionathán, My father hathe ^o troubled the land: ſe now how mine eyes are made cleare, becauſe I haue taſted a litle of this hony:

30.How muche more, if the people had eatẽ to day of the ſpoile of their enemies which they founde? for had there not bene now a greater ſlaughter among the Philiſtíms?

31.¶ And they ſmote y^e Philiſtíms that day, from Michmáſh to Aiialón: and the people were exceding faint.

32.So the people turned to the ſpoyle, and toke ſhepe, & oxen, and calues, & ſlewe thẽ on the ground, and the people did eat thẽ ^* with the blood.

33.Then men told Saúl, ſaying, Beholde, the people ſinne againſt the Lord, in that thei eat with the blood. And he ſaid, Ye haue treſpaſſed: ^p roule a great ſtone vnto me this day.

34.Againe Saúl ſaid, Go abroade among y^e people, & bid them bring me euerie man his oxe, and euery mã his ſhepe, and flaye them here, and eate and ſinne not againſt the Lord in eating with the blood. And the people broght euery man his oxe in his hand that night and ſlewe them there.

35.Then Saúl made an altar vnto the Lord, ^" that was the firſt altar that he made vnto the Lord.

36.¶ And Saúl ſaid, Let vs go downe after the Philiſtíms by night, and ſpoyle them vntil the morning ſhine, and let vs not leaue a mã of them. And they ſaid, Do whatſoeuer thou thinkeſt beſt. Then ſaid the Prieſt, Let vs ^q draw nere hither vnto God.

37.So Saúl aſked of God, ſaying, Shall I go downe after the Philiſtíms? wilt thou deliuer them into the hands of Iſraél? But he anſwered him not at that time.

38.¶ And Saúl ſaid, ^* ^"All ye chief of y^e peo-ple, come ye hither, and knowe, and ſe by whome this ſinne is done this day.

39.For as the Lord liueth, which ſaueth Iſraél, thogh it be done by Ionathán my ſonne, he ſhal dye the death. But none of all the people anſwered him.

40.Then he ſaid vnto all Iſraél, Be ye on one ſide, & I and Ionathán my ſonne wil be on the other ſide. And the people ſaid vnto Saúl, Do what thou thinkeſt beſt.

41.Then Saúl ſaid vnto the Lord God of Iſraél, Giue ^r a perfet lot. And Ionathán & Saúl were taken, but the people eſcaped.

42.And Saúl ſaid, Caſt lot betwene me and Ionathán my ſonne. And Ionathán was taken.

43.Then Saúl ſaid to Ionathán, Tel me what thou haſt done. And Ionathán told him, and ſaid, I taſted a litle hony with y^e end of the rod, that was in mine hand, & lo, I muſt dye.

44.Againe Saúl anſwered, God do ſo and more alſo, vnles y^e dye y^e death, Ionathán.

45.And the people ſaid vnto Saúl, [ſ] Shal Ionathán dye, who hathe ſo mightely deliuered Iſraél? God forbid. As y^e Lord liueth there ſhal not one heere of his head fall to the ground: for he hathe wroght w^t God this day. So the people deliuered Ionathán that he dyed not.

46.Then Saúl came vp from the Philiſtíms: & the Philiſtíms wẽt to their owne place.

47.¶ So Saúl helde the kingdome ouer Iſraél, and foght againſt all his ennemies on euerie ſide, againſt Moáb, and againſt the children of Ammón, and againſt Edóm, and againſt yͤ Kings of Zobáh, & againſt the Philiſtims: & whetherſoeuer he went, he ^" handled them as wicked men.

48.He gathered alſo an hoſte & ſmote ^t Amalék, & deliuered Iſraél out of the hãds of them that ſpoiled them.

49.Now the ſonnes of Saúl were Ionathán, ^u and Iſhuì, and Malchiſhúa: and the names of his two daughters, the elder was called Meráb, and the yonger was na-med ^x Michál.

50.And yͤ name of Sauls wife was Ahinóam the daughter of Ahimáaz: and the name of his chief captaine was ^y Abnér the ſonne of Ner, Sauls vncle.

51.And Kiſh was Sauls father: and Ner the father of Abnér was the ſonne of Abiél.

52.And there was fore warre againſt the Philiſtíms all the dayes of Saúl: & ^z who-meſoeuer Saul ſawe to be a ſtrong man, & mete for the warre, he toke him vnto him.

1 Samuel 14

Notes