Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

1 Samuel 14

1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave 1 at h Migron. The people who were with him were about i six hundred men, 3 including j Ahijah the son of Ahitub, k Ichabod's brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord l in Shiloh, m wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Within n the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of o Geba.

6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these p uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, q for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few." 7 And his armor-bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. 2 Behold, I am with you heart and soul." 8 Then Jonathan said, "Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, 'Wait until we come to you,' then we will stand still in our place, and we will 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 hand. And this shall be the sign to us." 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are coming r out of the holes where they have hidden themselves." 12 And the men of the garrison hailed 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 the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel." 13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 14 And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre 3 of land. 15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even s the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.

16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude t was dispersing here and there. 4 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, "Count and see who has gone from us." And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 So Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God here." For the ark of God went at that time with the people 5 of Israel. 19 Now u while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, v every Philistine's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, w even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel x who had hidden themselves y in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. 23 z So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond a Beth-aven.

  1. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:23
    And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
  2. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:15
    And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
  3. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:9
    Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
    1 Samuel 22:11
    Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king.
    1 Samuel 22:20
    But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 4:21
    And she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
  5. Cross References
    Joshua 18:1
    Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.
  6. Cross References
    1 Samuel 2:28
    Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel.
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:23
    And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:3
    Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear.
    1 Samuel 13:16
    And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 17:26
    And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
    Judges 14:3
    But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.
  10. Cross References
    Judges 7:4
    And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' shall not go.
    Judges 7:7
    And the Lord said to Gideon, "With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.
    2 Chronicles 14:11
    And Asa cried to the Lord his God, "O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.
  11. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:6
    When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns.
  12. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:17
    And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual.
  13. Cross References
    Joshua 2:9
    And said to the men, "I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
  14. Cross References
    Numbers 27:21
    And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.
  15. Cross References
    Judges 7:22
    When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
    2 Chronicles 20:23
    For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
  16. Cross References
    1 Samuel 29:4
    But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?
  17. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:11
    So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.
    1 Samuel 13:6
    When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns.
  18. Cross References
    Joshua 24:33
    And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.
  19. Cross References
    Exodus 14:30
    Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
  20. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:5
    And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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