120 Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we 125 may send messengers unto all the borders of Israel: and then, if there be none to save us, we will come out to thee. Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spake these words in the ears of the people and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And, behold, Saul came following the oxen 130 out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout 135 all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying,

Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the dread of1 the LORD fell on the people, and they came out as one man. And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three 140 hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance. And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Therefore 145 the men of Jabesh said, To-morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of the day : 150 and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together. And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel 155 rejoiced greatly.

1 For the dread of read a terror from (R).

LESSON XLIII

SAUL AND JONATHAN

Saul and Jonathan win a great victory over the Philistines at Michmash: but Saul's rash vow nearly costs the life of Jonathan.

1 SAMUEL XIII. 2-XIV. 52

13 2 And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mount of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah 1 of Benjamin and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan smote the garrison 2 of the Philistines that 5 was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it.3 And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were gathered 10 together after Saul.

5 And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward of 15 Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in holds, and in pits. Now some of the Hebrews had gone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. that were present with him, Saul, and Jonathan his son,

1 For Gibeah read Geba.

And Saul numbered the people 20

about six hundred men. And and the people that were present

2 For the garrison read the governor. 3 For heard of it read heard say, The Hebrews have revolted (S).

with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. And the spoilers came out of the camp 25 of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual : and another company turned the way to Beth-horon and another company turned the way of the border that looketh down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. And 30 the garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmash.

4

14 1 Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on yonder side. But he told not his father. And Saul abode in the uttermost 35 part of Gibeah 1 under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron 2 : and the people that were with him were about six hundred men ; and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, wearing 3 an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan 40 was gone. And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and 45 the other on the south in front of Geba. And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come and let us go over unto the garrison of these Philistines: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. And his armourbearer said unto 50 him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee, behold I am with thee according to thy heart. Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto the men, and we will discover ourselves unto them. If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto 55 them. But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will

1 For Gibeah read Geba.

2 For in Migron read by the threshing floor.

3 For wearing an ephod read carrying the ephod.

4 For between the passes read in the midst of the ravine.

go up for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign unto us. And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes 60 where they had hid themselves. And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up upon 65 his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew them after him. And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land. And there was a 70 trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people ; the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled and the earth quaked; so there was an exceeding great trembling. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah1 of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither and thither. 17 Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had num

75

bered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there. And Saul said unto Ahijah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel.2 80 And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand. And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's 85 sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture. Now the Hebrews that were with the Philistines as beforetime, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about; even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the

1 For Gibeah read Geba.

...

2 For Bring hither . . . Israel read Bring hither the ephod: for he bare the ephod at that time before Israel (S).