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Jonathan Defeats the Philistines
14 A day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man that bore his armor, “Come, and let us cross over to the Philistine garrison which is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Now Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron. And the people that were with him were about six hundred men. 3 And Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4 Between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The crag of the one rose north opposite Mikmash, and the other faced southward opposite Geba.
6 Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. Perhaps the Lord will work for us. For the Lord is not limited to save by many or by few.”
7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Turn yourself, and I will be with you according to your heart.”
8 Then Jonathan said, “Now we will cross over to these men, and we will reveal 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 delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”
11 So the two of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the caves where they have hidden themselves.” 12 The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will teach you something.”
So Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me. For the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
13 Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet with his armor bearer behind him. And they fell before Jonathan. And his armor bearer was dealing death blows after him. 14 That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men within about a half-acre field.
15 There was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled, and the ground quaked. It was the fear of God.
16 The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away, and they went even here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people that were with him, “Number now, and see who has gone from us.” And when they had numbered, Jonathan nor his armor bearer were there.
18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring here the ark of God.” For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel. 19 It came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
20 Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle. And every man’s sword was against his fellow, so that there was very great confusion. 21 Even the Hebrews who were with the Philistines the days before, who went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the children of Israel that were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Also all of Israel’s fighting men, who had hidden themselves in mountains of Ephraim, heard that the Philistines fled, and even they followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle passed beyond Beth Aven.
Saul’s Rash Oath
24 Now Israel’s fighting men were distressed that day. For Saul had placed the people under a curse, saying, “Cursed is the man that eats any food before it is evening, and I have been avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted any food.
25 All the people of the land came to the forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26 When the people came into the forest there was flowing honey. But no man put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father made the people swear. Therefore he put forward the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb. Then he put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were brightened. 28 Then one of the people answered, and said, “Your father surely made the people swear, saying, ‘Cursed is the man that eats any food this day.’ ” And the people were weary.
29 Then said Jonathan, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much more, if the people had surely eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? But now the defeat of the Philistines has not been great.”
31 And they struck the Philistines that day from Mikmash to Aijalon, and the people were very weary. 32 The people rushed upon the spoil; they took sheep, oxen, and calves and slew them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they reported to Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating the blood.”
And he said, “You have dealt faithlessly. Roll a great stone to me this day.” 34 Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring to me here every man his ox or sheep. And slaughter them here, and eat. But you shall not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’ ”
And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. 35 And Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
36 Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light. And let us not leave a man of them.”
And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”
Then the priest said, “Let us draw near here to God.”
37 Saul asked of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him that day.
38 Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and observe and see how this sin has come about this day. 39 For, as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will surely die.” But there was not one who answered him from among all the people.
40 Then he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.”
And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
41 Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42 Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”
And Jonathan told him, and said, “I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am. I must die.”
44 Saul said, “May God do so to me and more also, for you will surely die, Jonathan.”
45 The people said to Saul, “Will Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? God forbid. As the Lord lives, there will not one hair of his head fall to the ground. For he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.
46 Then Saul went up from following the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
47 So Saul took the kingdom over Israel and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the Ammonites, against Edom and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Whatever place he turned himself, he defeated them. 48 He gathered an army, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hand of its plunderers.
Saul’s Family
49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. And the names of his two daughters were Merab, the firstborn, and Michal, the youngest. 50 And the name of the wife of Saul was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, the uncle of Saul. 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52 There was strong war against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him into his service.
31 Still, many of the people believed in Him and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
Officials Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the people murmuring these things concerning Him. So the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.
33 Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 You will look for Me and you will not find Me. And where I am, you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What kind of saying is this which He said, ‘You will look for Me and you will not find Me. And where I am, you cannot come’? ”
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” 39 By this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him would receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Division Among the People
40 Therefore when they heard these words, many of the people said, “Truly, this is the Prophet.”
41 Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has the Scripture not said that the Christ comes from the seed of David, out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people because of Him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
The Unbelief of Those in Authority
45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?”
46 The officers answered, “No man has ever spoken like this Man.”
47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 Not at all. This crowd who does not know the law is accursed.”
50 Nicodemus, being one of them who came to Jesus by night, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”
52 They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”
The Woman Caught in Adultery
53 Then everyone went to his own house.[a]
Psalm 109
For the Music Director. A Psalm of David.
1 Do not remain silent,
O God of my praise!
2 For the mouth of the wicked and deceitful
are opened against me;
they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They encircled me with words of hatred
and fought against me without cause.
4 In return for my love they are my adversaries,
but I give myself to prayer.
5 They have rewarded me evil for good
and hatred for my love.
6 Set a wicked man against him,
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned,
and let his prayer be reckoned as sin.
8 Let his days be few,
and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be wandering beggars;
let them seek their bread far from their desolate places.
11 Let the creditor seize all that he has;
let the strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him,
neither let there be any to pity his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off,
and in the generation following let his name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the Lord continually,
that the Lord may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy and broken-hearted
to their death.
17 As he loved cursing,
so let it come over him;
as he did not delight in blessing,
so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing like a garment,
so let it soak into him like water,
and like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto him as the garment that covers him,
and a belt that he continually wears.
20 Let this be the reward of my adversaries from the Lord,
and of those who speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, O God my Lord,
work on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your mercy is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow in the evening;
I am tossed as the locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting,
and my body is thin with no fat.
25 I am a reproach to my accusers;
when they look upon me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to Your mercy,
27 that they may know that this is by Your hand,
that You, O Lord, have done it.
28 Let them curse, but You will bless;
when they arise, let them be ashamed,
but let Your servant rejoice.
29 Let my adversaries be clothed with shame,
and let them cover themselves with their own disgrace like a cloak.
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
indeed, I will praise Him among the multitude.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
5 A fool despises his father’s instruction,
but he who regards reproof is prudent.
6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure,
but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,
but the heart of the foolish does not do so.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.