1 Samuel 14:1-23 - Jonathan Leads The Counterattack

¹ Now one day Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was with him, looking after his arms, Come, let us go over to the Philistine force over there. But he said nothing to his father.

² And Saul was still waiting in the farthest part of Geba, under the fruit-tree in Migron: there were about six hundred men with him; ³ And Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, who had the ephod. And the people had no idea that Jonathan had gone.

⁴ Now between the narrow roads over the mountains by which Jonathan was making his way to the Philistines' forces, there was a sharp overhanging rock on one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: one was named Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵ The one rock went up on the north in front of Michmash and the other on the south in front of Geba. ⁶ And Jonathan said to his young servant who had his arms, Come, let us go over to the armies of these men who have no circumcision: it may be that the Lord will give us help, for there is no limit to his power; the Lord is able to give salvation by a great army or by a small band.

⁷ And his servant said to him, Do whatever is in your mind: see, I am with you in every impulse of your heart.

⁸ Then Jonathan said, Now we will go over to these men and let them see us. ⁹ If they say to us, Keep quiet where you are till we come to you; then we will keep our places and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, Come up to us; then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hands: and this will be the sign to us.

¹¹ And they let the Philistine force see the two of them: and the Philistines said, Look! the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have taken cover. ¹² And the armed men of the force gave Jonathan and his servant their answer, saying, Come up here to us, and we will let you see something. Then Jonathan said to his servant, Come up after me: for the Lord has given them up into the hands of Israel. ¹³ And Jonathan went up, gripping with his hands and his feet, his servant going up after him; and the Philistines gave way before Jonathan when he made an attack on them, and his servant put them to death after him. ¹⁴ And at their first attack, Jonathan and his servant put to the sword about twenty men, all inside the space of half an acre of land.

¹⁵ And there was great fear in the tents and in the field and among all the men of the armed force, and the attackers were shaking with fear; even the earth was moved with a great shaking and there was a fear as from God. ¹⁶ And the watchmen of Saul, looking out from Geba in the land of Benjamin, saw all the army flowing away and running here and there. ¹⁷ Then Saul said to the people who were with him, Let everyone be numbered and let us see who has gone from us. And when they had been numbered, it was seen that Jonathan and his servant were not there.

¹⁸ And Saul said to Ahijah, Let the ephod come here. For he went before Israel with the ephod at that time. ¹⁹ Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the noise in the tents of the Philistines became louder and louder; and Saul said to the priest, Take back your hand.

²⁰ And Saul and all the people with him came together and went forward to the fight: and every man's sword was turned against the man at his side, and there was a very great noise. ²¹ Then the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines for some time, and had gone up with them to their tents, turning round were joined to those who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² And all the men of Israel who had taken cover in the hill-country of Ephraim, hearing that the Philistines had been put to flight, went after them, attacking them. ²³ So the Lord made Israel safe that day: and the fight went over to Beth-aven.