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

¹ And the day came 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 which is on the other side. But he did not tell his father.

² And Saul stayed in the edge of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree in Migron. And the people who were with him were about six hundred men. ³ And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, Jehovah's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.

⁴ And between the passages 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 was a pillar on the north in front of Michmash, and the other southward in front of Gibeah. ⁶ And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. It may be that Jehovah will work for us. For there is no restraint to Jehovah, to save by many or by few.

⁷ And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart. Turn, for behold, I am with you according to your heart.

⁸ And Jonathan said, Behold, we will go over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say this to us, Stand still 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 this, Come up to us, then we will go up, for Jehovah has delivered them up into our hand. And this shall be a sign to us.

¹¹ And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come out of the holes where they have hidden themselves. ¹² And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, Come up to us, and we will teach you a thing. And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for Jehovah has delivered them into the hand of Israel. ¹³ And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed after him. ¹⁴ And this was the first blow, when Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck about twenty men in about half of a furrow of an acre of a field.

¹⁵ And there was trembling in the army, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the spoilers also trembled, and the earth quaked, and it was a very great trembling. ¹⁶ And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude had melted away and went on here and there. ¹⁷ And Saul said to the people with him, Number now and see who is gone from us. And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

¹⁸ And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring the ark of God here. For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel. ¹⁹ And it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, the noise in the army of the Philistines went on and grew greater. And Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand.

²⁰ And Saul and all the people with him gathered, and they went to the battle. And, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, a very great panic. ²¹ And the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before, who had gone up with them into the camp all around, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² And all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in mount Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also followed them in the battle. ²³ And Jehovah saved Israel that day, and the battle passed over to Beth-aven.