Study Desk

Now the garrison of the Philistines had come out to the pass of Michmash.

And it came about, on a certain day, that Jonathan son of Saul said unto the young man bearing his armour: Come! and let us pass over unto the garrison of the Philistines, that is on the other side, yonder! but, to his father, he told it not.

Now, Saul, was tarrying in the uttermost part of Gibeah, under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron, - and, the people that were with him, were about six hundred men;

and, Ahijah, son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, was priest of Yahweh in Shiloh, wearing an ephod, - and, the people, knew not that Jonathan had departed.

And, between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over up to the garrison of the Philistines, there was a crag of rock on the one side, and a crag of rock on the other side; and, the name of the one, was Bozez, and the name of the other, Seneh.

The one crag, was a pillar on the north, over against Michmash, - and, the other, on the south, over against Geba.

So Jonathan said unto the young man bearing his armour - Come! and let us cross over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised, peradventure, Yahweh may work by us, - for there is no restraint with Yahweh, to save by many, or by few.

And his armour-bearer said to him, Do all that is in thy heart, - decide for thyself (lo! I am with thee!), according to thine own heart.

Then said Jonathan, Lo! we, are crossing over unto the men, - and will discover ourselves unto them.

If, thus, they say unto us, Keep quiet until we get to you, then will we stand still where we are, and will not go up unto them;

but, if thus, they say, Come up unto us, then will we go up; for Yahweh hath delivered them into our hand, - This, then, is our sign.

So they two discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines, - and the Philistines said - Lo! Hebrews, coming forth out of the holes, wherein they had hidden themselves.

And the men of the garrison responded to Jonathan and his armour-bearer, and said - Come up unto us, and we will let you know a thing. Then said Jonathan unto his armour-bearer - Come up after me, for Yahweh hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.

So Jonathan went up on his hands and on his feet, and, his armour-bearer, followed him, - and they fell before Jonathan, and, his armour-bearer, was slaying after him.

And the first smiting wherewith Jonathan and his armour-bearer smote, was about twenty men, - within, as it were, half a furrow's length of a yoke of land.

And there came to be a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people, the outposts and the spoilers, they too, trembled, - and the earth quaked, so it became a preternatural trembling.

And the scouts of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and lo! the camp, melted away, hither and thither.

Then said Saul unto the people who were with him: Number, I pray you, and see who hath departed from us. So they numbered; and lo! Jonathan and his armour-bearer were missing.

Then said Saul unto Ahijah, Bring near the ark of God; for the ark of God was, on that day, in the midst of the sons of Israel.

And it came to pass, as soon as Saul had spoken unto the priest, that, the tumultuous noise that was in the camp of the Philistines, went on and on, increasing. Then said Saul unto the priest, - Withdraw thy hand.

And Saul and all the people that were with him gathered themselves together, and came as far as the host, - and lo! the sword of every man was against his fellow, an exceeding great confusion.

And, the Hebrews who had aforetime belonged to the Philistines, who had come up with them in the host, even they, turned round so as to be with Israel who were with Saul and Jonathan.

And, all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves throughout the hill country of Ephraim, heard that the Philistines had fled, and, they also, followed hard after them in the battle.

Thus did Yahweh, on that day, save Israel, - and, the battle, passed over by Beth-aven.