1 Samuel 14:1–18

¹One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But Jonathan did not tell his father.

²Meanwhile, Saul was staying under the pomegranate tree^a in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah. And the troops who were with him numbered about six hundred men, ³including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.

⁴Now there were cliffs on both sides of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost. One was named Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵One cliff stood to the north toward Michmash, and the other to the south toward Geba.

⁶Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

⁷His armor-bearer replied, “Do all that is in your heart. Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

⁸“Very well,” said Jonathan, “we will cross over toward these men and show ourselves to them. ⁹If they say, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stay where we are and will not go up to them. ¹⁰But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ then we will go up, because this will be our sign that the LORD has delivered them into our hands.”

¹¹So the two of them showed themselves to the outpost of the Philistines, who exclaimed, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they were hiding!”

¹²So the men of the outpost called out to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come on up, and we will teach you a lesson!”

“Follow me,” Jonathan told his armor-bearer, “for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”

¹³So Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. And the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off. ¹⁴In that first assault, Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men in about half an acre^b of land.

¹⁵Then panic struck the Philistines in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even those in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. Indeed, the earth quaked, and panic spread from God.^c

¹⁶Now when Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in Benjamin looked and saw the troops melting away and scattering in every direction,^{d 17}Saul said to the troops who were with him, “Call the roll and see who has left us.”

And when they had called the roll, they saw that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

¹⁸Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.)^e