1 Samuel 14:1-23 - Jonathan Leads The Counterattack
1 Now it fell upon a day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison that is on yonder side. But he did not tell his father.
2 And Saul abode in the outermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron. And the people who were with him were about six hundred men, 3 and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of LORD in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.
4 And 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 5 The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. 6 And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that LORD will work for us, for there is no limitation to LORD to save by many or by few.
7 And his armor bearer said to him, Do all that is in thy heart. Turn thee, behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.
8 Then Jonathan said, Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will disclose ourselves to them. 9 If they say thus to us, Tarry until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them. 10 But if they say thus, Come up to us, then we will go up, for LORD has delivered them into our hand, and this shall be the sign to us.
11 And 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. 12 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, Come up after me, for LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel 13 And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armor bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed them after him. 14 And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
15 And 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 exceedingly great trembling. 16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went [here] and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, Number now, and see who has gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.
18 And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring here the ark of God. For the ark of God was [there] at that time with the sons of Israel. 19 And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased. And Saul said to the priest, Withdraw thy hand.
20 And Saul and all the people who were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle. And, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great discomfiture. 21 Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines as formerly, 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 Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed close after them in the battle. 23 So LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle passed over by Beth-aven.