1   And it chanced on a certeine day that Ionathas the sonne of Saul sayd to the yong man that bare his armour: Come, & let vs passe to the garison of the Philisthijms, which is beyond yonder place. But to his father he told not this same thing.

2   Moreouer Saul abode in the vtmost part of Gabaa vnder the pomegranate tree, which was in Magron: and the people with him was about six hundred men.

3   And Achias the sonne of Achitob the brother of Ichabod the sonne of Phinees, which was borne of Heli the priest of our Lord in Silo, bare the ephod. But the people also was ignorant whither Ionathas was gone.

4   And there were betwen the ascentes, by the which Ionathas endeuoured to passe vnto the garison of the Philistijms, rockes standing vp on both sides, and as it were in maner of teeth stiepe broken rockes on either side, the name of one Boses, and the name of the other Sene:

5   one rocke standing out toward the North ouer against Machmas, and the other to the South, against Gabaa.

6   And Ionathas sayd to the yong man that bare his armour: Come, let vs passe to the station of these vncircumcised, if haply our Lord wil make for vs: because it is not hard for our Lord to saue either in manie, or in fewe.

7   And his esquier sayd to him: Doe al thinges which please thy minde: goe whither thou desirest, and I wil be with thee wheresoeuer thou wilt.

8   And Ionathas sayd: Behold we passe to these men. And when we shal appeare to them,

9   If they shal speake to vs in this maner: Tarie til we come to

Samuel. Saul. you: let vs stand in our place, and not goe vp to them.

10   But if they shal say: Come vp to vs: let vs goe vp, because our Lord hath deliuered them in our handes, ^note this shal be a signe vnto vs.

11   Both of them therefore appeared to the station of the Philisthims: & the Philistijms sayd: Behold the Hebrewes come out of the caues, wherein they were hid.

12   And the men of the garnison spake to Ionathas and to his esquier, and sayd: Come vp to vs, and we wil shew you a thing. And Ionathas sayd to his esquier: Let vs goe vp, folow me: for our Lord hath deliuered them into the handes of Israel.

13   And Ionathas went vp on his handes & feete creeping, and his esquier after him. Therefore some fel before Ionathas, other some his esquier folowing slewe.

14   And the first slaughter, with which Ionathas & his esquier made, was as it were of twentie men in the halfe part of an aker, which a yoke of oxen is wont to plough in a day.

15   And there was made a miracle in the campe, through the fieldes: yea and al the people of their garrison, which had gone to take prayes, was astonyed, and the land was trubled: and it happened as a miracle from God.

16   And the watchemen of Saul, which were in Gabaa, of Beniamin looked, & loe a multitude ouerthrowen, & fleeing hither and thither.

17   And Saul sayd to the people, which was with him: Enquire, and see who is gone from vs. And when they had sought, it was found that Ionathas was not present and his esquier.

18   And Saul sayd to Achias: Bring the arke of our Lord. (for the arke of God was there that day with the children of Israel.)

19   And when Saul spake to the priest, there arose a great tumult in the campe of the Philistijmes: and it grewe by litle and litle, and sounded more cleerely. And Saul sayd to the priest: ^note Draw together thy hand.

20   Saul therefore and al the people that was with him, shouted together, and they came to the place of the fight: and behold euerie mans sword had beene turned to his neighbour, and a slaughter exceding great.

21   But the Hebrewes also which had bene with the Philistijms yesterday and the day before, and went vp with them in the campe, returned to be with Israel, which were with Saul and Ionathas.

22   Al the Israelites also which had hid themselues in mount Ephraim, hearing that the Philistijms were fled, ioyned them selues with their fellowes in battel. And there were with Saul as it were ten thousand men.

23   And our Lord in that day saued Israel.

Samuel. Saul. and the fight reached as farre as Bethauen.

24   And the men of Israel were ioyned among themselues in that day: and Saul adiured the people, saying: Cursed be the man, that shal eate bread vntil euening, til I be reuenged of myne enemies. And the whole people did eate no bread:

25   and al the common people of the land came into a forest, wherein was honie vpon the face of the field.

26   The people therefore entred into the forest, and there appeared dropping honie, and no man put his hand to his mouth. for the people feared the oath.

27   But Ionathas had not heard when his father adiured the people: and he put forth the tippe of the rod, which he had in his hand, and dipped it into a honie combe: and he turned his hand to his mouth, and his eies were illuminated.

28   And one of the people answering, sayd: Thy father hath bound the people with an oath, saying: Cursed be the man that shal eate bread this day. (and the people was faynt)

29   And Ionathas sayd: ^note My father hath trubled the land: your selues haue seene that myn eies are illuminated, because I haue tasted a litle of this honie:

30   how much more if the people had eaten of the praye of their enemies, which they found? had there not beene made a greater plague in the Philistijms?

31   They stroke therefore in that day the Philistijms from Machmas vnto Ailon. And the people was wearied excedingly:

32   and being turned to the praye tooke sheepe, and oxen, and calues, & slew them on the ground: and the people did eate ^note with bloud.

33   And they told Saul saying that the people had sinned to our Lord, eating with bloud. Who sayd: You haue transgressed: Roule to me euen now a great stone.

34   And Saul sayd: Disperse your selues among the common people, and tel them that euerie man bring me his oxe and ramme, and kil ye them vpon this same, and eate, and you shal not sinne to our Lord eating with bloud. Al the people therefore brought euerie man his oxe in his hand vntil night: and slewe them there.

35   And Saul built an altar to our Lord; and then first did he beginne to build an altar to our Lord.

36   And Saul sayd: Let vs fal vpon the Philistijms by night, and let vs spoyle them til it waxe light in the morning, neither let vs leaue a man of them. And the people sayd: Doe al that semeth good in thyne eies. And the priest sayd: Let vs approch hither to God.

37   And Saul consulted our Lord: Shal I pursew the Philistijms? wilt thou deliuer them into the handes

Samuel. Saul. of Israel? And ^note he answered him not in that day.

38   And Saul sayd: Bring hither al the corners of the people: and know, and see by whom this sinne hath chanced to day.

39   Our Lord the sauiour of Israel liueth, that if it were done by Ionathas my sonne, he shal die without reuoking. Whereunto none of the people gayne sayed him.

40   And he sayd to al Israel: Be you seperated into one side, and I with Ionathas my sonne wil be on the other side. And the people answered Saul: Doe what semeth good in thyn eies.

41   And Saul sayd to our Lord: Lord God of Israel, geue a signe: and Ionathas was caught and Saul, and the people went forth.

42   And Saul sayd: Cast ye lotte betwen me, and Ionathas my sonne. And ^note Ionathas was taken.

43   And Saul sayd to Ionathas: Tel me what thou hast done. And Ionathas told him, and sayd: Tasting I tasted in the tippe of the rod, which was in myn hand a litle honie, and behold I die.

44   And Saul sayd: These thinges doe God to me, and these thinges adde he, that dying thou shalt die Ionathas.

45   And the people said to Saul: Shal Ionathas then die, which hath made this great saluation in Israel? this is vnlawful: our Lord liueth, if there shal fal a heare from his head vpon the ground, because with God hath he wrought to day. The people therefore deliuered Ionathas, that he should not die.

46   And Saul retyred, neither did he pursew the Philistjims: moreouer the Philistijms departed into their places.

47   And Saul, his kingdom being established ouer Israel, fought round about against al his enemies, against Moab, and the children of Ammon, and Edom, and the kinges of Soba, and the Philistians: and whither soeuer he turned him self, he ouercame.

48   And gathering together an armie, he stroke Amalec, and deliuered Israel from the hand of the spoylers thereof.

49   And the sonnes of Saul, were Ionathas and Iesui, and Melchisua: and the names of his two daughters, the name of the first borne Merob, and the name of the yonger Michol.

50   And the name of Sauls wife, Achinoam the daughter of Achimaas: and the name of the prince of his host Abner, the sonne of Ner, the cosin german of Saul by the father.

51   Moreouer Cis was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner, the sonne of Abiel.

52   And there was mightie battel agaynst the Philisthians al the dayes of Saul. For whomsoeuer Saul had seene a valiant man, and fitte for battel, he ioyned him to him self.

Samuel. Saul.

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