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 Defeats the Philistines

¹Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. ²And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of ⚓Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. ³⚓Ahijah the son of Ahitub, ⚓Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, was ⚓wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
⁴Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over ⚓to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ⁵The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.
⁶Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these ⚓uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord⚓from saving by many or by few.”
⁷So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”
⁸Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. ¹⁰But if they say thus, ‘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.”
¹¹So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have ⚓hidden.” ¹²Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”
Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” ¹³And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they ⚓fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. ¹⁴That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.
¹⁵And ⚓there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and ⚓the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was ⚓a very great trembling. ¹⁶Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they ⚓went here and there. ¹⁷Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. ¹⁸And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here” (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel). ¹⁹Now it happened, while Saul ⚓talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” ²⁰Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed ⚓every man’s sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. ²¹Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²²Likewise all the men of Israel who ⚓had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. ²³⚓So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted ⚓to Beth Aven.

Saul’s Rash Oath

²⁴And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had ⚓placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. ²⁵⚓Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was ⚓honey on the ground. ²⁶And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his countenance brightened. ²⁸Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint.
²⁹But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”
³¹Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint. ³²And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them⚓with the blood. ³³Then they told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood!”
So he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day.” ³⁴Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there. ³⁵Then Saul ⚓built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
³⁶Now 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 to God here.”
³⁷So Saul ⚓asked counsel 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. ³⁸And Saul said, ⚓“Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. ³⁹For ⚓as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not a man among all the people answered him. ⁴⁰Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side.”
And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
⁴¹Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, ⚓“Give a perfect lot.” ⚓So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. ⁴²And Saul said, “Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.” So Jonathan was taken. ⁴³Then Saul said to Jonathan, ⚓“Tell me what you have done.”
And Jonathan told him, and said, ⚓“I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!”
⁴⁴Saul answered, ⚓“God do so and more also; ⚓for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
⁴⁵But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! ⚓As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked ⚓with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.
⁴⁶Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul’s Continuing Wars

⁴⁷So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of ⚓Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of ⚓Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he harassed them. ⁴⁸And he gathered an army and ⚓attacked the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.
⁴⁹⚓The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Jishui, and Malchishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger ⚓Michal. ⁵⁰The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s ⚓uncle. ⁵¹⚓Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
⁵²Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, ⚓he took him for himself.