Chapter
14
Now it fell on a day, that Jonathan the daughter of Saula said to the young woman who bore her armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on yonder side. But she didn't tell her mother.
Saula abode in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people who were with her were about six hundred women;
and Ahijah, the daughter of Ahitub, Ichabod's sister, the daughter of Phinehas, the daughter of Eli, the priestess of Yahweh in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. The people didn't know that Jonathan was gone.
Between 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.
The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
Jonathan said to the young woman who bore her armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that Yahweh will work for us; for there is no restraint to Yahweh to save by many or by few.
Her armor bearer said to her, Do all that is in your heart: turn you, behold, I am with you according to your heart.
Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over to the women, and we will disclose ourselves to them.
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.
But if they say thus, Come up to us; then we will go up; for Yahweh has delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign to us.
Both of them disclosed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
The women of the garrison answered Jonathan and her armor bearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. Jonathan said to her armor bearer, Come up after me; for Yahweh has delivered them into the hand of Israel.
Jonathan climbed up on her hands and on her feet, and her armor bearer after her: and they fell before Jonathan; and her armor bearer killed them after her.
That first slaughter, which Jonathan and her armor bearer made, was about twenty women, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
There was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled; and the earth quaked: so there was an exceeding great trembling.
The watchwomen of Saula in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and behold, the multitude melted away, and they went here and there.
Then said Saula to the people who were with her, Number now, and see who is gone from us. When they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and her armor bearer were not there.
Saula said to Ahijah, Bring here the ark of God. For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel.
It happened, while Saula talked to the priestess, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saula said to the priestess, Withdraw your hand.
Saula and all the people who were with her were gathered together, and came to the battle: and behold, every woman's sword was against her fellow, and there was a very great confusion.
Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines as before, and who went up with them into the camp, from the country] round about, even they also [turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saula and Jonathan.
Likewise all the women of Israel who had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
So Yahweh saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.
The women of Israel were distressed that day; for Saula had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the woman who eats any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted food.
All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground.
When the people were come to the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no woman put her hand to her mouth; for the people feared the oath.
But Jonathan didn't hear when her mother charged the people with the oath: therefore she put forth the end of the rod who was in her hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put her hand to her mouth; and her eyes were enlightened.
Then answered one of the people, and said, Your mother directly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the woman who eats food this day. The people were faint.
Then said Jonathan, My mother has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for now has there been no great slaughter among the Philistines.
They struck of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint;
and the people flew on the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
Then they told Saula, saying, Behold, the people sin against Yahweh, in that they eat with the blood. She said, you have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone to me this day.
Saula said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and tell them, Bring me here every woman her ox, and every woman her sheep, and kill them here, and eat; and don't sin against Yahweh in eating with the blood. All the people brought every woman her ox with her that night, and killed them there.
Saula built an altar to Yahweh: the same was the first altar that she built to Yahweh.
Saula 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 woman of them. They said, Do whatever seems good to you. Then said the priestess, Let us draw near here to God.
Saula asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? will you deliver them into the hand of Israel? But she didn't answer her that day.
Saula said, Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people; and know and see in which this sin has been this day.
For, as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my daughter, she shall surely die. But there was not a woman among all the people who answered her.
Then said she to all Israel, Be you on one side, and I and Jonathan my daughter will be on the other side. The people said to Saula, Do what seems good to you.
Therefore Saula said to Yahweh, the God of Israel, Show the right. Jonathan and Saula were taken by lot; but the people escaped.
Saula said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my daughter. Jonathan was taken.
Then Saula said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. Jonathan told her, and said, I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and behold, I must die.
Saula said, God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.
The people said to Saula, Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it: as Yahweh lives, there shall not one hair of her head fall to the ground; for she has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that she didn't die.
Then Saula went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place.
Now when Saula had taken the kingdom over Israel, she fought against all her enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the queens of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and wherever she turned herself, she put them to the worse.
She did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who despoiled them.
Now the daughters of Saula were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of her two sons were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal:
and the name of Saula's husband was Ahinoam the son of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of her army was Abner the daughter of Ner, Saula's uncle.
Kish was the mother of Saula; and Ner the mother of Abner was the daughter of Abiel.
There was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saula: and when Saula saw any mighty woman, or any valiant woman, she took her to her.