The Koine Bible

And it came to pass on a day that Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man carrying his gear, Come, and let us cross over to the outpost of the Philistines on that other side; and he did not tell his father.

And Saul was sitting at the edge of the hill under the pomegranate tree that is in Magdon, and there were with him about six hundred men.

And Ahiah son of Ahitob, brother of Jochabed, son of Phinees, son of Eli, priest of God in Shiloh, wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

And between the pass where Jonathan sought to cross over to the outpost of the Philistines, and a crag of rock on this side and a crag of rock on that side: the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

The one road was from the north for the one coming to Michmash, and the other road was from the south for the one coming to Gibeah.

And Jonathan said to the young man bearing his gear, Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men; perhaps the Lord will act for us, because there is nothing impossible for the Lord to save by many or by few.

And the one carrying his equipment said to him, Do all that your heart may incline to; behold, I am with you, as your heart is, my heart is.

And Jonathan said, Behold, we are crossing over to the men, and we will roll down toward them.

If they should say thus to us, Stand off there until we report to you, then we will stand still by ourselves and will not go up against them.

And if they say thus to us, Come up to us, then we will go up, because the Lord has given them into our hands; this will be the sign for us.

And both entered into the pass of the Philistines, and the Philistines say, Behold, the Hebrews are coming out from their holes where they hid themselves there.

And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and the one carrying his weapons, and they say, Come up to us, and we will make a matter known to you. And Jonathan said to the one carrying his weapons, Come up after me, because the Lord has given them into the hands of Israel.

And Jonathan went up on his hands and on his feet, and the one bearing his equipment with him; and they fell before Jonathan, and he struck them, and the one bearing his equipment kept giving after him

And the first blow that Jonathan and the one carrying his equipment struck was about twenty men with slings and with stones and with pebbles of the field

And there was panic in the camp and in the field, and all the people, those in Mesad and those who were ravaging, were also panic-stricken, and they themselves were unwilling to act, and the earth trembled, and there was panic from the Lord

And the lookouts of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin saw, and behold, the camp was troubled on this side and on that side

And Saul said to the people with him, Visit now and see who has gone from among you. And they visited, and behold, Jonathan and the one carrying his gear were not found.

And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring near the ephod, because he himself bore the ephod on that day before Israel

And it came to pass, while Saul was speaking to the priest, that the noise in the camp of the Philistines kept going and increasing, and Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hands.

And Saul shouted, and all the people who were with him, and they came as far as the battle, and behold, the sword of a man was turned against his neighbor; a very great confusion.

And the servants who were formerly with the Philistines, who had gone up into the camp, also turned back, even they, to be with Israel, with Saul and Jonathan.

And all Israel, those hiding in the hill country of Ephraim, heard that the foreigners had fled, and they also joined in pursuit after them for battle.

And the Lord saved Israel in that day, and the war passed through Beth-horon, and all the people were with Saul, about ten thousand men, and the war was scattered into the whole city in the hill country of Ephraim.

And Saul ignored a great ignorance on that day, and he put the people under an oath, saying, Cursed is the man who shall eat bread until evening, and I will take vengeance on my enemy; and all the people tasted no bread.

And all the land was eating, and there was a forest of wood by the face of the field, and honeycomb was there.

And the people entered into the honeycomb, and behold, it was going on speaking, and behold, there was none turning back his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath of the Lord.

And Jonathan had not heard when his father adjured the people, and he stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb and turned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes looked up.

And one of the people answered and said, Your father bound the people with an oath, saying, Cursed is the man who shall eat bread today. And the people were faint.

And Jonathan knew and said, My father has troubled the land; see now that my eyes have seen because I tasted a little of this honey.

But surely if the people had eaten today from the spoils of their enemies which they found, now the blow among the Philistines would have been greater

And he struck on that day some of the Philistines at Michmash, and the people were very weary.

And the people turned to the spoils, and the people took flocks and herds and calves of oxen, and slaughtered on the ground, and the people ate with the blood

And it was reported to Saul, saying, The people have sinned against the Lord, eating with the blood. And Saul said, Roll a great stone here for me.

And Saul said, Be scattered among the people and say to them, let each man bring here his calf and each man his sheep, and let him slaughter on this, and you shall not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. And all the people brought near, each the thing in his hand, and they were slaughtering there.

And Saul built there an altar to the Lord; this Saul began to build as an altar to the Lord

And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder among them until the day shines and let us not leave a man among them. And they said, All that is good in your sight do; and the priest said, Let us draw near here to God.

And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hands of Israel?” And he did not answer him in that day.

And Saul said, Bring here all the corners of Israel, and know and see in whom this sin has happened today.

For the Lord lives, who saved Israel, that if it should answer concerning Jonathan my son, he shall surely die; and there was no one answering from all the people.

And he said to all Israel, You will be for slavery, and I and Jonathan my son will be for slavery. And the people said to Saul, Do what is good in your sight.

And Saul said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why is it that you have not answered your servant today? If the guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord, the God of Israel, give clear signs; and if you should say this way, in your people Israel, give indeed holiness. And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the people went out.

And Saul said, Cast between me and between Jonathan my son; whomever the Lord shall choose by lot, let him die. And the people said to Saul, This thing is not so. And Saul prevailed over the people, and they cast between him and between Jonathan his son, and Jonathan was chosen by lot.

And Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan told him, and said, By tasting I tasted with the end of the staff that was in my hand a little honey; behold, I am dying.

And Saul said to him, Thus may God do to me, and thus may he add, for you shall certainly die today.

And the people said to Saul, Shall the one who has done this great salvation in Israel be put to death today? As the Lord lives, if a hair of his head shall fall to the ground; because the people of God acted on this day. And the people prayed concerning Jonathan on that day, and he did not die.

And Saul went up from following after the Philistines, and the Philistines departed to their place.

And Saul took the work by lot over Israel, and he fought round about against all his enemies, against Moab and against the sons of Ammon and against the sons of Edom and against Beth-hor and against the king of Zobah and against the Philistines; wherever he turned, he was saved.

And he did mightily and struck Amalek and delivered Israel out of the hand of those who were trampling him.

And the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Jessiui and Melchisa, and the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn was Merob, and the name of the second was Melchol

And the name of his wife was Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz, and the name of the commander-in-chief was Abner, son of Ner, son of Saul’s uncle.

And Kish the father of Saul and Ner the father of Abner, son of Abiel, son of Jamin

And the war was fierce against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and Saul saw every mighty man and every man, a son of strength, and he gathered them to himself.