Jonathan’s Victory over the Philistines

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 treein 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 acreof 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.

¹⁶Now when Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in Benjamin looked and saw the troops melting away and scattering in every direction,

¹⁷Saul 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.)

¹⁹While Saul was talking to the priest, the commotion in the Philistine camp continued to increase. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

²⁰Then Saul and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor.

²¹And the Hebrews who had previously gone up into the surrounding camps to join the Philistines now went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

²²When all the Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined the battle in close pursuit.

²³So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth-aven.

Jonathan Eats the Honey

²⁴Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.

²⁵Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.

²⁶And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.

²⁷Jonathan, however, had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.

²⁸Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.”

²⁹“My father has brought trouble to the land,” Jonathan replied. “Just look at how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

³⁰How much better it would have been if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been much greater?”

³¹That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the people were very faint.

³²So they rushed greedily to the plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them on the ground and ate meat with the blood still in it.

³³Then someone reported to Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.”“You have broken faith,” said Saul. “Roll a large stone over here at once.”

³⁴Then he said, “Go among the troops and tell them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep, slaughter them in this place, and then eat. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.’”So that night everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there.

³⁵Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.

³⁶And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until dawn, leaving no man alive!”“Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.But the priest said, “We must consult God here.”

The People Save Jonathan

³⁷So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?”But God did not answer him that day.

³⁸Therefore Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the troops, and let us investigate how this sin has occurred today.

³⁹As surely as the LORD who saves Israel lives, even if it is my son Jonathan, he must die!”But not one of the troops said a word.

⁴⁰Then Saul said to all Israel, “You stand on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will stand on the other side.”“Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.

⁴¹So Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.”And Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people were cleared of the charge.

⁴²Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected.

⁴³“Tell me what you have done,” Saul commanded him.So Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I must die?”

⁴⁴And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”

⁴⁵But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die—he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.”So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

⁴⁶Then Saul gave up his pursuit of the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their own land.

Saul’s Victories

⁴⁷After Saul had assumed the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side—the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kingsof Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them.

⁴⁸He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of its plunderers.

⁴⁹Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter).

⁵⁰His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner.

⁵¹Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.

⁵²And the war with the Philistines was fierce for all the days of Saul. So whenever he noticed any strong or brave man, Saul would enlist him.

Jeroboam’s Hand Withers

¹Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.

²And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”

³That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”

⁴Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back.

⁵And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

⁶Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.”So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.

⁷Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”

⁸But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.

⁹For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”

¹⁰So the man of God went another way and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.

The Old Prophet and the Man of God

¹¹Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sonscame and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.

¹²“Which way did he go?” their father asked.And his sons showed himthe way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah.

¹³So the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.”Then they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it

¹⁴and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak treeand asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”“I am,” he replied.

¹⁵So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”

¹⁶But the man replied, “I cannot go home with you, and I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

¹⁷For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’”

¹⁸Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’”The old prophet was lying to him,

¹⁹but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.

²⁰While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back,

²¹and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,

²²but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’”

²³And after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him back saddled the donkey for him.

²⁴As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

²⁵And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived.

²⁶When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.”

²⁷Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it,

²⁸and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.

²⁹So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.

³⁰Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”

³¹After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones,

³²for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”

³³Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.

³⁴And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.

Judgment on Jerusalem

¹Woe to the city of oppressors,rebellious and defiled!

²She heeded no voice;she accepted no correction.She does not trust in the LORD;she has not drawn near to her God.

³Her princes are roaring lions;her judges are evening wolves,leaving nothing for the morning.

⁴Her prophets are reckless,faithless men.Her priests profane the sanctuary;they do violence to the law.

⁵The LORD within her is righteous;He does no wrong.He applies His justice morning by morning;He does not fail at dawn,yet the unjust know no shame.

Purification of the Nations

⁶“I have cut off the nations;their corner towers are destroyed.I have made their streets desertedwith no one to pass through.Their cities are laid waste,with no man, no inhabitant.

⁷I said, ‘Surely you will fear Meand accept correction.’Then her dwelling place would not be cut offdespite all for which I punished her.But they rose earlyto corrupt all their deeds.

⁸Therefore wait for Me,”declares the LORD,“until the dayI rise to testify.For My decision is to gather nations,to assemble kingdoms,to pour out upon them My indignation—all My burning anger.For all the earth will be consumedby the fire of My jealousy.

A Faithful Remnant

⁹For then I will restorepure lips to the peoples,that all may call upon the name of the LORDand serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of CushMy worshipers, My scattered people,will bring Me an offering.

¹¹On that day you will not be put to shamefor any of the deedsby which you have transgressed against Me.For then I will remove from among youthose who rejoice in their pride,and you will never again be haughtyon My holy mountain.

¹²But I will leave within you a meek and humble people,and they will trust in the name of the LORD.

¹³The remnant of Israelwill no longer do wrong or speak lies,nor will a deceitful tonguebe found in their mouths.But they will feed and lie down,with no one to make them tremble.”

Israel’s Restoration

¹⁴Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;shout aloud, O Israel!Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,O Daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵The LORD has taken away your punishment;He has turned back your enemy.Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you;no longer will you fear any harm.

¹⁶On that day they will say to Jerusalem:“Do not fear, O Zion;do not let your hands fall limp.

¹⁷The LORD your God is among you;He is mighty to save.He will rejoice over you with gladness;He will quiet you with His love;He will rejoice over you with singing.”

¹⁸“I will gather those among you who grieveover the appointed feasts,so that you will no longer suffer reproach.

¹⁹Behold, at that time,I will deal with all who afflict you.I will save the lameand gather the scattered;and I will appoint praise and famefor the disgraced throughout the earth.

²⁰At that time I will bring you in;yes, at that time I will gather you.For I will give you fame and praiseamong all the peoples of the earthwhen I restore your captivesbefore your very eyes,”says the LORD.

It Is Good to Sing Praises

¹Hallelujah!How good it is to sing praises to our God,how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!

²The LORD builds up Jerusalem;He gathers the exiles of Israel.

³He heals the brokenheartedand binds up their wounds.

⁴He determines the number of the stars;He calls them each by name.

⁵Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;His understanding has no limit.

⁶The LORD sustains the humble,but casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;make music on the harp to our God,

⁸who covers the sky with clouds,who prepares rain for the earth,who makes grass to grow on the hills.

⁹He provides food for the animals,and for the young ravens when they call.

¹⁰He does not delight in the strength of the horse;He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.

¹¹The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him,who hope in His loving devotion.

¹²Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem;praise your God, O Zion!

¹³For He strengthens the bars of your gatesand blesses the children within you.

¹⁴He makes peace at your borders;He fills you with the finest wheat.

¹⁵He sends forth His command to the earth;His word runs swiftly.

¹⁶He spreads the snow like wool;He scatters the frost like ashes;

¹⁷He casts forth His hail like pebbles.Who can withstand His icy blast?

¹⁸He sends forth His word and melts them;He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

¹⁹He declares His word to Jacob,His statutes and judgments to Israel.

²⁰He has done this for no other nation;they do not know His judgments.Hallelujah!