1 And it came to be one day that Yahonathan son of Sha’ul said to the young man who bore his armour, “Come, and let us go over to the outpost of the Pelishtites which is on the other side.” But he did not inform his father.
2 And Sha’ul remained at the outskirts of Giḇ’ah under a pomegranate tree at Miḡron, and the people who were with him were about six hundred men.
3 And Aḥiyah son of Aḥituḇ, Iḵaḇoḏ’s brother, son of Pineḥas, son of Ĕli, the kohĕn of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in Shiloh, was wearing a shoulder garment. And the people did not know that Yahonathan had gone.
4 And between the passes, by which Yahonathan sought to go over to the outpost of the Pelishtites, there was an edge of a rock on one side and an edge of a rock on the other side. And the name, of one was Botsĕts, and the name of the other Seneh.
5 The one edge was on the north opposite Miḵmash, and the other on the south opposite Giḇ’ah.
6 And Yahonathan said to the young man who bore his armour, “Come, and let us go over to the outpost of these uncircumcised. If so be, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 works for us. For there is no hindrance for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 save by many or by few.”
7 And his armour-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart, incline yourself. See, I am with you, according to your heart.”
8 And Yahonathan said, “See, we are passing over to the men – and show ourselves to them.
9 “If they say this to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we shall stand still in our place and not go up to them.
10 “But if they say this, ‘Come up to us,’ then we shall go up. For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has given them into our hand, and this is the sign to us.”
11 And both them disclosed themselves to the outpost of the Pelishtites, and the Pelishtites said, “See, the Iḇrim are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.”
12 And the men of the outpost called to Yahonathan and his armour-bearer, and said, “Come up to us, and let us teach you a lesson.” Then Yahonathan said to his armour-bearer, “Come up after me, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has given them into the hand of Yisra’ĕl.”
13 And Yahonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armour-bearer after him. And they fell before Yahonathan, and his armour-bearer was putting them to death behind him.
14 And that first slaughter which Yahonathan and his armour-bearer made was about twenty men, in about half a yoke-furrowed field.
15 And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The outpost and the raiders also trembled, and the ground shook. And it became a trembling of Elohim.
16 And the watchmen of Sha’ul in Giḇ’ah of Binyamin looked and saw the crowd melting away, and they went here and there.
17 And Sha’ul said to the people who were with him, “Please inspect and see who has gone from us.” So they inspected and saw that Yahonathan and his armour-bearer were missing.
18 And Sha’ul said to Aḥiyah, “Bring the ark of Elohim here.” For the ark of Elohim was with the children of Yisra’ĕl on that day.
19 And it came to be, while Sha’ul talked to the kohĕn, that the noise which was in the camp of the Pelishtites went on, and became great, so Sha’ul said to the kohĕn, “Withdraw your hand.”
20 And Sha’ul was called, and all the people who were with him, and they went to the battle. And see, every man’s sword was against his neighbour – a very great confusion.
21 And the Iḇrim who were with the Pelishtites before that time, who went up with them into the camp, turned round, they too, to be with Yisra’ĕl, who were with Sha’ul and Yahonathan.
22 And all the men of Yisra’ĕl who had hidden in the mountains of Ephrayim, heard that the Pelishtites fled, and they also pursued them in the battle.
23 Thus 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 saved Yisra’ĕl that day, and the battle passed over to Bĕyth Awen.
24 And the men of Yisra’ĕl were distressed that day, for Sha’ul had placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until evening, and I have taken revenge on my enemies.” Therefore none of the people tasted food.
25 And all the land came into the woods, and there was honey on the ground.
26 And the people came into the woods and saw the honey, dripping. But no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people revered the oath.
27 But Yahonathan had not heard that his father had taken an oath of the people, and he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth. And his eyes lit up.
28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly took an oath of the people, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’ ” And the people were weary.
29 And Yahonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Now see how my eyes lit up when I tasted a little of this honey.
30 “How much better if the people had well eaten today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For then, would not the smiting among the Pelishtites have been greater?”
31 And they smote the Pelishtites that day from Miḵmash to Ayalon. So the people were very weary,
32 and the people pounced on the spoil, and took sheep, and cattle, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate with the blood.
33 And they told Sha’ul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 by eating with the blood!” And he said, “You have acted treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today.”
34 And Sha’ul said, “Disperse among the people, and say to them, ‘Each one bring his ox near to me, and each one his sheep, and you shall slaughter them here, and eat. And do not sin against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there.
35 And Sha’ul built an altar to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. It was the first altar he built to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
36 And Sha’ul said, “Let us go down after the Pelishtites by night, and plunder them until the morning light, and not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the kohĕn said, “Let us draw near to Elohim here.”
37 And Sha’ul asked of Elohim, “Should I go down after the Pelishtites? Do You give them into the hand of Yisra’ĕl?” But He did not answer him that day.
38 And Sha’ul said, “Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today.
39 “For as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives, who saves Yisra’ĕl, though it be in Yahonathan my son, he shall certainly die.” But not one among all the people answered him.
40 And he said to all Yisra’ĕl, “You be on one side, and my son Yahonathan and I be on the other side.” And the people said to Sha’ul, “Do what seems good to you.”
41 Then Sha’ul said to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “Give a perfect one.” And Sha’ul and Yahonathan were taken, but the people escaped.
42 And Sha’ul said, “Cast between my son Yahonathan and me.” And Yahonathan was taken.
43 Sha’ul then said to Yahonathan, “Explain to me what you have done.” And Yahonathan explained to him, and said, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. “See, let me die!”
44 And Sha’ul answered, “Elohim do so and more also, for you shall certainly die, Yahonathan.”
45 But the people said to Sha’ul, “Should Yahonathan die, who has wrought this great deliverance in Yisra’ĕl? Far be it! As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives, let not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has wrought with Elohim this day.” Thus the people rescued Yahonathan, and he did not die.
46 And Sha’ul returned from pursuing the Pelishtites, and the Pelishtites went to their own place.
47 And Sha’ul took the reign over Yisra’ĕl, and fought against all his enemies round about, against Mo’aḇ, and against the children of Ammon, and against Eḏom, and against the sovereigns of Tsoḇah, and against the Pelishtites. And wherever he turned, he caused trouble.
48 And he gathered an army and smote the Amalĕqites, and delivered Yisra’ĕl from the hands of those who plundered them.
49 And the sons of Sha’ul were Yahonathan and Yishwi and Malkishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the first-born Mĕraḇ, and the name of the younger Miḵal.
50 And the name of Sha’ul’s wife was Aḥino’am the daughter of Aḥima’ats. And the name of the commander of his army was Aḇnĕr son of Nĕr, uncle of Sha’ul.’
51 And Qish was the father of Sha’ul, and Nĕr the father of Aḇnĕr was the son of Aḇi’ĕl.
52 And there was fierce fighting against the Pelishtites all the days of Sha’ul. And when Sha’ul saw any mighty man or any brave man, he took him for himself.