One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to his young man who bore his armour, “Come, let us cross over to the praetor of the Philistines on yonder side.” But he did not tell his father.

And Saul was staying in the outskirts of The Hill, under the pomegranate tree which is at Migron; and the people who were with him were about six hundred men.

And Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest serving before the LORD at Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. And the people did not knowthat Jonathan had gone.

And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the praetor of the Philistines, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side; the name of the one was Mashro`itha and the name of the other was Madrokhitha.

The one crag looked out from the north, in front of Michmas, and the other from the south, in front of The Hill.

And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armour, “Come, let us cross over to the praetor of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will do a miracle for us, fornothing can be an obstacle before Him to save by many or by few.”

And his armour bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Direct yourself, behold I am with you, as you wish.”

Then said Jehonathan, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them.

If they say to us, ‘Wait until we reach you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them.

But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up; for the LORD has handed them over into our hand. And this will be the sign to us.”

So both of them showed themselves to the praetor of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, “Look, Judaeans are coming out of the holes where they have hid themselves.”

And the men of the guard answered Jonathan and his armour bearer, and said, “Come up against us, and we will let you know something.” And Jonathan said to his armour bearer, “Come up after me; for the LORD has handed them over into the hand of Israel.”

Then Jonathan went up on his hands and feet, and his armour bearer after him. And they fell stabbed before Jonathan, and his armour bearer despatched them after him.

And that first stroke, which Jonathan and his armour bearer struck, was of about twenty men in the space of half the walk of a yoke of oxen in the field.

And they quaked [with fear] in the camp, in the field and among all the people. Even the praetors and the destroyer quaked. And the earth quaked. Yes, it became a quake from before the LORD.

And the watchmen of Saul in The Hill of the House of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude of the Philistine camp was broken; and its breaking grew more and more.

Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Inspect now and see who is missing from us.” And when they had numbered, behold Jonathan and his armour bearer were not there.

And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ark of the LORD.” For the ark of the LORD was at that day with the sons of Israel.

And while Saul was speaking with the priest, the multitude, which was in the Philistine camp, grew more and more; and Saul said to the priest, “Bring near the ephod.”

Then Saul and all the people who were with him gathered together and went into the battle, and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.

Now [some] Judaeans had been for the Philistines, like yesterday and before, and those who had gone up with them into the camp round about, even they turned to be with Israel, who were with Saul and Jonathan.

And when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of the House of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were retreating, even they pressed after them in battle.

And the LORD saved Israel that day. And the wagers of the war reached Beth aven.

And the men of Israel kept themselves at a distance that day, for Saul had made the people swear, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until the evening, until I am revenged on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted any food

And all the inhabitants of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the surface of the field.

And when the people came into the forest, behold, a stream of honey, but there was none who brought his hand back to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

But Jonathan had not heard, when his father made the people swear. So he reached out the head of his staff that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and brought his hand back to his mouth; and his eyes became bright.

Then a man of the people said, “Your father strictly made the people swear, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’” And the people were faint.

Then Jonathan said, “My father has ruined the country; see how my eyes have become bright, because I tasted this little honey.

The more, then, if the people had eaten freely today of the plunder of their haters which they found; for now the attack among the Philistines has not been great.”

And they killed among the Philistines that day from Michmas to the valley of Aijalon. And the people were very faint.

And the people turned toward the plunder, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.

Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are guilty before the LORD, by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously. Bring near a great stone to me.”

And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Let every man bring near to me his ox and his lamb, and slaughter them here, and eat. But do not be guilty before the LORD by eating with the blood.’” So all the people brought them near that night, every man his ox by the hand, and they slaughtered there.

And Saul built an altar before the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD.

Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and kill them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems right in your sight.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near hither and let us inquire of the speech of the LORD.”

And Saul inquired of the speech of the LORD, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Wilt Thou hand them over into the hand of Israel?” But He did not accept his prayer that day.

And Saul said, “Draw near hither, all you heads of the people; and know and see how this guilt has arisen today.

For as the LORD lives who saved Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely be killed.” But there was none among all the people that answered him.

Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems right in your sight.”

And Saul said before the LORD, the God of Israel, “Bring it in truth.” And Jonathan and Saul were singled out, but the people went forth.

Then Saul said, “Cast lots between us and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was singled out.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, he said, “I did indeed taste a little honey with the head of the staff that was in my hand; here I am, I am guilty deserving to die.”

And Saul said, “May the LORD do so and more also: you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the LORD is the existing One, there shall not a single hair of his head fall to the ground, for it is revealed before the LORD that he did so accidentally this day.” So the people delivered Jonathan that he did not die.

Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place.

And Saul prospered in the kingship, he waged war against all his enemies on every side: against Moab, against the sons of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he made the place tributary.

And he gathered armies and struck those of the House of Amalek. And he delivered Israel from the hands of those plundering it.

Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters: the name of the elder was Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.

And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abiner the son of Ner, the uncle of Saul.

Kish the father of Saul and Ner the father of Abner were son of Abiel.

And the war against the Philistines was hard all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any heroic man or any man waging war, he gathered him to himself.