Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

1Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man that bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.   carried

2And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;   outmost

3And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.   priestly garment

4And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

5The forefront of the one was situate northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.   located

6And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.   limitation

7And his armorbearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart: turn you; behold, I am with you according to your heart.

8Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over to these men, and we will discover ourselves to them.   reveal

9If they say thus to us, Tarry until we come to you^p; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them.

10But if they say thus, Come up to us; then we will go up: for the Lord has delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign to us.

11And both of them discovered themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hidden themselves.   revealed

12And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you^p a thing. And Jonathan said to his armorbearer, Come up after me: for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.

13And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armorbearer slew after him.

14And that first slaughter, which Jonathan; and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were a half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.

15And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.   raiders

16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.

17Then said Saul to the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there.

18And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring here the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.

19And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand.   commotion

20And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.   destruction

21Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.

22Likewise all the men of Israel which had hidden themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.   closely

23So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over to Bethaven.