1 Samuel 14 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

Jonathan's Victory

1Sa 14:1Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

1Sa 14:2

1Sa 14:2Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron. And the people who were with him were about six hundred men,

1Sa 14:3

1Sa 14:3and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the LORD at Shiloh, was [fn]wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

1Sa 14:4

1Sa 14:4Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side and a sharp crag on the other side, and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

1Sa 14:5

1Sa 14:5The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.

1Sa 14:6

1Sa 14:6Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.”

1Sa 14:7

1Sa 14:7His armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your [fn]desire.”

1Sa 14:8

1Sa 14:8Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.

1Sa 14:9

1Sa 14:9“If they [fn]say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you’; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.

1Sa 14:10

1Sa 14:10“But if they [fn]say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hands; and this shall be the sign to us.”

1Sa 14:11

1Sa 14:11When both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, “Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.”

1Sa 14:12

1Sa 14:12So the men of the garrison [fn]hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will tell you something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has given them into the hands of Israel.”

1Sa 14:13

1Sa 14:13Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him.

1Sa 14:14

1Sa 14:14That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.

1Sa 14:15

1Sa 14:15And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the raiders trembled, and the earth quaked so that it became a [fn]great trembling.

1Sa 14:16

1Sa 14:16Now Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away; and they went here and there.

1Sa 14:17

1Sa 14:17Saul said to the people who were with him, “[fn]Number now and see who has gone from us.” And when they had [fn]numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

1Sa 14:18

1Sa 14:18Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.

1Sa 14:19

1Sa 14:19While Saul talked to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

1Sa 14:20

1Sa 14:20Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.

1Sa 14:21

1Sa 14:21Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

1Sa 14:22

1Sa 14:22When all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also pursued them closely in the battle.

1Sa 14:23

1Sa 14:23So the LORD delivered Israel that day, and the battle [fn]spread beyond Beth-aven.

Saul's Foolish Order

1Sa 14:24

1Sa 14:24Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food [fn]before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.

1Sa 14:25

1Sa 14:25All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.

1Sa 14:26

1Sa 14:26When the people entered the forest, behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

1Sa 14:27

1Sa 14:27But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath; therefore, he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.

1Sa 14:28

1Sa 14:28Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’” And the people were weary.

1Sa 14:29

1Sa 14:29Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

1Sa 14:30

1Sa 14:30“How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.”

1Sa 14:31

1Sa 14:31They struck among the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very weary.

1Sa 14:32

1Sa 14:32The people [fn]rushed greedily upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.

1Sa 14:33

1Sa 14:33Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously; roll a great stone to me today.”

1Sa 14:34

1Sa 14:34Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.’” So all the people that night brought each one his ox [fn]with him and slaughtered it there.

1Sa 14:35

1Sa 14:35And Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD.

1Sa 14:36

1Sa 14:36Then Saul 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 man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good [fn]to you.” So the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

1Sa 14:37

1Sa 14:37Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him on that day.

1Sa 14:38

1Sa 14:38Saul said, “Draw near here, all you [fn]chiefs of the people, and investigate and see how this sin has happened today.

1Sa 14:39

1Sa 14:39“For as the LORD lives, who delivers Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not one of all the people answered him.

1Sa 14:40

1Sa 14:40Then 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 good [fn]to you.”

1Sa 14:41

1Sa 14:41Therefore, Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.

1Sa 14:42

1Sa 14:42Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.

1Sa 14:43

1Sa 14:43Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!”

1Sa 14:44

1Sa 14:44Saul said, “May God do [fn]this to me and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

1Sa 14:45

1Sa 14:45But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has [fn]brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Far from it! As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people [fn]rescued Jonathan and he did not die.

1Sa 14:46

1Sa 14:46Then Saul went up from [fn]pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Constant Warfare

1Sa 14:47

1Sa 14:47Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he [fn]inflicted punishment.

1Sa 14:48

1Sa 14:48He acted valiantly and [fn]defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of [fn]those who plundered them.

1Sa 14:49

1Sa 14:49Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab and the name of the younger Michal.

1Sa 14:50

1Sa 14:50The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.

1Sa 14:51

1Sa 14:51Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

1Sa 14:52

1Sa 14:52Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he [fn]attached him to [fn]his staff.

See the NASB95 Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NASB95 Footnotes

(14:3)

Literally: carrying

(14:7)

Literally: heart

(14:9)

Literally: say thus

(14:10)

Literally: say thus

(14:12)

Literally: answered

(14:15)

Literally: trembling of God

(14:17)

Literally: muster(ed)

(14:23)

Literally: passed over

(14:24)

Literally: until

(14:32)

Literally: did with regard to the spoil

(14:34)

Literally: in his hand

(14:36)

Literally: in your eyes

(14:38)

Literally: corners

(14:40)

Literally: in your eyes

(14:44)

Literally: thus

(14:45)

Literally: worked

(14:45)

Literally: ransomed

Literally: after

Or, condemned

Literally: smote

Literally: its plunderers

(14:52)

Literally: gathered

(14:52)

Literally: himself

New American Standard Bible 1995
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For more information on this translation, see the NASB95 Preface.

1 Samuel Chapter 14 — Additional Translations: