14

Yaunathaa tua cov Filixatee

¹Muaj ib nub Yaunathaa kws yog Xa‑u tug tub has rua tug hluas kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej ua rog tas, “Ib ca le hlaa moog rua tim cov Filixatee paab tub rog kws zuv kev.” Tassws nwg tsw qha rua nwg txwv paub. ²Xa‑u tsuam chaw nyob ntawm ntug moos Kinpe‑a huv qaab tsob ntoo txwv ntsab pobkws huv lub moos Miloo. Cov tuabneeg kws nrug Xa‑u nyob kwvlaam muaj rau pua leej, ³hab Ahiya kws coj lub efauj⚓ kuj nrug Xa‑u nyob. Ahiya txwv yog Ahithu kws yog Ikhanpau tug tijlaug, nwg yawm yog Fineha, nwg yawm koob yog Eli kws ua Yawmsaub tug pov thawj huv lub moos Silau. Cov tub rog kuj tsw paub tas Yaunathaa moog lawm. ⁴Lub dawm kws Yaunathaa yuav hlaa moog rua cov Filixatee paab tub rog kws zuv kev muaj ib ntxwj zeb zuag zuag nyob saab nuav hu ua Npauxe hab ib ntxwj zeb nyob saab tid hu ua Xene. ⁵Ntxwj zeb saab peg tshwm ncaaj ntawm Mimaj hab ntxwj zeb saab nraag tshwm ncaaj ntawm lub moos Kenpa.
⁶Yaunathaa has rua tug hluas kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej tas, “Ib ca le hlaa moog rua ntawm paab tub rog kws yog cov tuabneeg tsw ua kevcai txav. Tej zag Yawmsaub yuav paab peb tsua qhov tsw muaj ib yaam daabtsw yuav taav tau qhov kws Yawmsaub cawm peb tsw has nwg swv tuabneeg coob los tsawg.” ⁷Tug kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej teb nwg tas, “Koj ca le ua txhua yaam kws koj lub sab xaav ua. Kuv nrug koj ua ke hab koj lub sab xaav le caag kuv lub sab kuj ua ib yaam le ntawd.” ⁸Tes Yaunathaa txawm has tas, “Ib yuav hlaa moog rua ntawm cov tuabneeg hov hab tshwm rua puab pum. ⁹Yog puab has rua ib tas, ‘Ca le nyob tog txug thaus peb tuaj txug meb,’ tes ib yuav nyob tuabywv ntawm lub chaw hab ib yuav tsw nce moog rua ntawm puab. ¹⁰Yog puab has tas, ‘Ca le nce tuaj rua ntawm peb,’ tes ib yuav nce moog. Qhov kws puab teb le hov yuav qha rua ib paub tas Yawmsaub tub muab puab cob rua huv ib txhais teg lawm.” ¹¹Ob tug txhad tshwm rua cov Filixatee paab tub rog pum, mas cov Filixatee has tas, “Saib nawj, cov Henplais tawm huv qhov tswv nraim tshwm tuaj lawm.” ¹²Tes cov tub rog kws zuv kev hov txawm hu Yaunathaa hab tug kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej has tas, “Ca le nce tuaj rua ntawm peb mas peb yuav qha ib yaam daabtsw rua meb.” Yaunathaa txawm has rua tug kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej tas, “Ca le lawv kuv qaab lug, tsua qhov Yawmsaub tub muab puab cob rua huv cov Yixayee txhais teg lawm.” ¹³Tes Yaunathaa txawm nkaag nce moog hab tug kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej kuj lawv nwg qaab moog. Cov tuabneeg nuav txhad le tuag rua ntawm Yaunathaa txhais teg hab tug kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej kuj tua puab lawv qaab moog. ¹⁴Thawj zag kws Yaunathaa hab tug kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej tua puab hov mas tuag kwvlaam neeg nkaum leej. Thaaj chaw kws puab sws tua hov daav le ib nkawm nyuj laij teb ib taav su. ¹⁵Cov Filixatee suavdawg raag zum zawg tsw has huv lub yeej hab ib ncig lub yeej. Paab tub rog kws zuv kev hab cov tub rog kws moog lws tebchaws kuj ntshai tshee quas nyo. Aav kuj tseeg quas nkawg, ua rua muaj kev raag zum zawg luj heev.
¹⁶Xa‑u cov tub rog kws faaj xwm huv lub moos Kinpe‑a huv Npeeyamee tebchaws tsaa muag saib na cav pum cov Filixatee coob coob hov dha tswv ntxhuv quas nyo rua hov u hov nuav. ¹⁷Tes Xa‑u txawm has rua cov tuabneeg kws nrug nwg nyob tas, “Ca le suav saib leejtwg tawm ntawm peb moog lawm.” Thaus puab suav saib na cav Yaunathaa hab tug kws nqaa nwg tej cuab yeej tsw nyob ntawd. ¹⁸Xa‑u txawm has rua Ahiya tas, “Ca le coj Vaajtswv lub swb xaab⚓ lug ntawm nuav,” tsua qhov lub swjhawm ntawd Vaajtswv lub swb xaab^v nyob huv cov Yixayee lawm. ¹⁹Thaus Xa‑u nrug tug pov thawj has lug txawm muaj suab nrov heev quas zug huv cov Filixatee lub yeej. Xa‑u txhad has rua tug pov thawj tas, “Ca le nkaum teg, tsw xob ua nug lawm.” ²⁰Tes Xa‑u hab nwg cov tub rog txawm sau nthwv moog ntaus rog, ua cav cov Filixatee rov sws tua ua ntxhuv quas nyo sws chaab sws chaws. ²¹Cov Henplais kws tub moog nrug cov Filixatee nyob ua ntej lug lawm hab tuaj rua huv lub yeej hov, kuj tig lug koom nrug cov Yixayee kws yog Xa‑u hab Yaunathaa tog. ²²Thaus cov Yixayee kws tswv nraim rua peg toj sab Efa‑i tebchaws tau nov tas cov Filixatee saamswm tswv, puab kuj lawv qaab moog ua rog rua hab. ²³Nub ntawd Yawmsaub cawm cov Yixayee le nuav. Puab txhad ntaus rog moog dhau plhawv lub moos Npe‑avee.
²⁴Nub hov cov Yixayee raug kev ceblaaj heev vem yog Xa‑u twv tseg rua cov tub rog tas, “Leejtwg noj mov ua ntej nub tsw tau poob qho hab ua ntej kws kuv tsw tau pauj taub kuv cov yeeb ncuab taag, ca tug hov raug foom tsw zoo.” Vem le nuav cov tub rog tsw noj mov hlo le. ²⁵Cov tuabneeg suavdawg moog rua huv haav zoov mas muaj zwb ntaab nyob huv peg teb. ²⁶Thaus cov tuabneeg moog rua huv haav zoov lawm mas pum zwb ntaab saamswm nrug, tassws tsw muaj leejtwg cev teg muab lug noj, vem yog ntshai tej lug kws twv tseg lawd. ²⁷Tassws Yaunathaa tsw nov leej txwv tej lug kws nwg twv rua cov pejxeem. Nwg txhad muab tug hauv paas nreg kws nwg coj tshaum xub ntaab cev teg muab cov zwb lug noj, tes nwg qhov muag txhad kaaj tuaj. ²⁸Muaj ib tug yawm has tas, “Koj txwv twv tseg rua cov tub rog tas, ‘Nub nua leejtwg noj mov yuav raug foom tsw zoo.’ Cov tuabneeg txhad tsaug leeg heev.” ²⁹Yaunathaa txhad has tas, “Kuv txwv ua rua lub tebchaws raug kev ceblaaj. Swm saib kuv lub qhov muag tub kaaj lawm vem kuv tau noj mivntswv zwb ntaab. ³⁰Yog nub nua cov tuabneeg tau noj tej kws txeeb tau ntawm yeeb ncuab lug mas yuav zoo dua ntau npaug, tsua qhov nwgnuav qhov kws tua cov Filixatee kuj tsw muaj ntau lawm.”
³¹Nub ntawd puab tua cov Filixatee ntawm Mimaj moog txug lub moos Aiyaloo. Mas cov tub rog tsaug leeg heev. ³²Puab txhad dha moog muab tej kws txeeb tau lug, yog yaaj hab nyuj hab mivnyuas nyuj coj lug tua kag rua huv aav, noj hlo nqaj hab ntshaav ua ke. ³³Mas luas txhad moog has rua Xa‑u tas, “Cov tuabneeg ua txhum rua Yawmsaub vem yog noj hlo nqaj hab ntshaav.” Mas Xa‑u has tas, “Mej ua tuabneeg faav xeeb lawm. Ca le dov ib lub pob zeb luj lug rua ntawm kuv nuav.” ³⁴Hab Xa‑u has tas, “Ca le moog has thoob plawg rua cov tuabneeg tas, ‘Mej txhua tug yuav tsum coj mej tej nyuj tej yaaj lug tua rua sau lub pob zeb nuav noj. Tsw xob ua txhum rua Yawmsaub vem yog noj nqaj hab ntshaav.’ ” Mas mo ntawd txhua tug coj puab tej nyuj lug tua rua hov ntawd. ³⁵Xa‑u ua ib lub thaaj xyeem rua Yawmsaub. Yog thawj lub thaaj kws nwg ua rua Yawmsaub.
³⁶Tes Xa‑u has tas, “Peb ca le moog lawv cov Filixatee mo ntuj hab txeeb puab tej hov txhua chaw ib mos kaaj ntug. Peb tsw xob tseg ib tug dim sav le.” Cov tuabneeg teb tas, “Ca le ua lawv le koj pum zoo.” Tassws tug pov thawj has tas, “Ca peb lug ua nug rua Vaajtswv ntawm nuav tsaiv.” ³⁷Tes Xa‑u txhad nug Vaajtswv tas, “Kuv yuav moog lawv cov Filixatee los tsw xob moog? Koj yuav muab puab cob rua huv cov Yixayee txhais teg los tsw muab?” Tassws nub hov Vaajtswv tsw teb Xa‑u. ³⁸Xa‑u txhad has tas, “Mej suavdawg kws yog cov thawj, ca le lug ntawm nuav, mej ca le tshuaj saib yog vem le caag nub nua muaj lub txem nuav tshwm lug. ³⁹Muaj Yawmsaub tug kws cawm cov Yixayee muaj txujsa nyob pum, txawm yog txujkev txhum nyob ntawm kuv tug tub Yaunathaa los nwg yeej yuav tuag xwb.” Tassws cov tuabneeg suavdawg hov tsw muaj ib tug teb nwg le. ⁴⁰Tes Xa‑u txawm has rua cov Yixayee suavdawg tas, “Ca mej tuaj ib tog, mas kuv hab kuv tug tub Yaunathaa tuaj ib tog.” Mas cov pejxeem has rua Xa‑u tas, “Ca le ua lawv le koj pum zoo.” ⁴¹Ua le hov Xa‑u txhad thov has tas, “Au Yawmsaub kws yog cov Yixayee tug Vaajtswv, ua caag nub nua koj tsw teb kuv kws yog koj tug qhev? Yog lub txem nyob ntawm kuv hab kuv tug tub Yaunathaa, thov teb rua Uli, yog lub txem nyob ntawm cov Yixayee thov teb rua Thumi.”⚓ Tes Xa‑u hab Yaunathaa txhad yog tog kws ua txhum mas cov pejxeem dim. ⁴²Tes Xa‑u txhad has tas, “Rov qaab saib Uli hab Thumi rua kuv hab kuv tug tub Yaunathaa.” Mas kev txhum poob rua Yaunathaa.
⁴³Tes Xa‑u txhad has rua Yaunathaa tas, “Koj tau ua daabtsw lawm? Ca le has rua kuv saib.” Yaunathaa txhad has tas, “Kuv tau swm noj mivntswv zwb ntaab ntawm tug hauv paas nreg huv kuv txhais teg. Kuv nyob ntawm nuav, kuv yeem tuag.” ⁴⁴Xa‑u txhad has tas, “Yog kuv tsw tua koj thov Vaajtswv ua nyaav dua hov rua kuv. Yaunathaa koj yuav tuag tag tag le.” ⁴⁵Cov pejxeem has rua Xa‑u tas, “Tswm nyog Yaunathaa kws coj kev kov yeej luj kawg lug rua cov Yixayee tuag lov? Tsw xob ua le hov. Muaj Yawmsaub kws muaj txujsa nyob pum, tsw tseev nwg ib txuj plaubhau poob rua huv aav le, vem nub nua nwg tau koom nrug Vaajtswv ua rog.” Cov pejxeem txhad txhwv tau Yaunathaa nwg txhad tsw tuag. ⁴⁶Tes Xa‑u txawm tsw lawv caum cov Filixatee lawm. Cov Filixatee rov moog rua puab qub teb qub chaw.
⁴⁷Thaus Xa‑u tau ua vaajntxwv kaav cov Yixayee, nwg ua rog rua nwg cov yeeb ncuab rua txhua faab, yog ua rog rua Mau‑a hab Aamoo hab Entoo hab cov vaajntxwv huv Xaunpa tebchaws hab cov Filixatee. Nwg moog rua hovtwg kuj ntaus yeej hov ntawd. ⁴⁸Nwg muaj sab luj sab tuab ua rog hab ntaus yeej cov Amalej hab cawm cov Yixayee dim huv cov kws tuaj lws puab txhais teg.
⁴⁹Xa‑u le tub yog Yaunathaa, Isavi hab Makhisuva. Nwg ob tug ntxhais tug hlub hu ua Mela, tug yau hu ua Mikhaa. ⁵⁰Xa‑u tug quaspuj hu ua Ahinau‑aa, nwg yog Ahima‑a tug ntxhais. Xa‑u tug thawj rog yog Anaw kws yog Naw tug tub, Naw yog Xa‑u yawm laug. ⁵¹Khij yog Xa‑u txwv, Naw yog Anaw txwv, Naw hab Khij yog Anpi‑ee le tub.
⁵²Xa‑u swm neej mas muaj kev ua rog rua cov Filixatee luj heev. Thaus Xa‑u pum leejtwg muaj zug hab sab luj sab tuab nwg coj lug nrug nwg nyob ua nwg le tub txwb tub khai.

14

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines

¹One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
²Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, ³among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.
⁴On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.
⁶Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
⁷“Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
⁸Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. ⁹If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. ¹⁰But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”
¹¹So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” ¹²The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”
So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”
¹³Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. ¹⁴In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Israel Routs the Philistines

¹⁵Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.⚓
¹⁶Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. ¹⁷Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.
¹⁸Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.)⚓ ¹⁹While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
²⁰Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. ²¹Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²²When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. ²³So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

Jonathan Eats Honey

²⁴Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food.
²⁵The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. ²⁶When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out; yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. ²⁷But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.⚓ ²⁸Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, ‘Cursed be anyone who eats food today!’ That is why the men are faint.”
²⁹Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”
³¹That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Mikmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted. ³²They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood. ³³Then someone said to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood in it.”
“You have broken faith,” he said. “Roll a large stone over here at once.” ³⁴Then he said, “Go out among the men and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.’ ”
So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there. ³⁵Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this.
³⁶Saul said, “Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive.”
“Do whatever seems best to you,” they replied.
But the priest said, “Let us inquire of God here.”
³⁷So Saul asked God, “Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?” But God did not answer him that day.
³⁸Saul therefore said, “Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. ³⁹As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.” But not one of them said a word.
⁴⁰Saul then said to all the Israelites, “You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here.”
“Do what seems best to you,” they replied.
⁴¹Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault,⚓ respond with Thummim.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. ⁴²Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.
⁴³Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”
So Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now I must die!”
⁴⁴Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.”
⁴⁵But the men said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.” So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.
⁴⁶Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.
⁴⁷After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings⚓ of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them.⚓ ⁴⁸He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.

Saul’s Family

⁴⁹Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal. ⁵⁰His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul’s army was Abner son of Ner, and Ner was Saul’s uncle. ⁵¹Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.
⁵²All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.