Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The XIIII. Chapter.

[ A] IT fortuned at y^e same tyme, y^t Iona¦thas sayde vnto his lad which was his wapen bearer: Come, let vs go o∣uer to the Philistynes watch y^t lyeth aboue, & he tolde not his father. Saul dwelt at y^e en¦de of Gibea vnder a Pomgranate tre, which was in the suburbe. And the people y^t we∣re by him, were vpon a sixe hundreth men. And Ahia the sonne of Achitob the brother of Icabod, the sonne of Phineas y^e sonne of Eli y^e prest of the LORDE at Silo, wayre the ouerbody cote. But the people knewe not that Ionathas was gone.

Betwene the passages where Ionathas soughte to go ouer vnto the Phylistynes watch, there were two hye rockes, the one on the one syde, the other on the other: the one was called Bozez, the other Senne. And y^e one laye on the north syde towarde Mich∣mas, and the other on the south syde towar∣de Gaba. And Ionathas sayde vnto his wa¦pen bearer: Come, let vs go euer to y^e watch of these vncircumcised, peraduenture the LORDE shall worke with vs, For it is no harde matter for the LORDE to helpe by many or by fewe. Then answered him his wapen bearer: Do all that is in thine hert, go on thy w••rie, beholde, I am with the, euen as thine hert wyll.

Ionathas sayde: Well than, Whan we [ B] are gone ouer to the men, and come within the sighte of them, yf they saye: stonde styll, tyll we come to you, then wyll we stonde styll in oure place, and not go vp to them. But yf they saye: Come vp to vs, we wyll go vp to them, thē hath the LORDE delyuered them in to oure hande, and this shalbe a token for vs. Now whan they came both in the sigh∣te of the Philistynes watch, the Philistynes sayde: Se, y^e Hebrues are gone out of their holes, that they were crepte in to. And the men in the watch answered Ionathas and his wapē bearer, and sayde: Come vp to vs, and we wyll teach you what the matter is. Then sayde Ionathas to his weapen bea∣rer. Come vp after me, the LORDE hath delyuered them into Israels hande. And Io¦nathas clamme vp with handes and fete, and his wapen bearer after him. And Io∣nathas smote them downe before him, and his wapē bearer slewe behynde him, so that the first slaughter that Ionathas and his wapen bearer dyd, was vpō a twentye men, with in the length of halue an aker of lon∣de, which a pare of oxen maye tyll in one daye.

And there came a fearfulnes and flight [ C] in the hoost vpon the felde, and amonge all the people of the watch: and vpon the des∣troyers there came a fearfulnes also and flight, so that the londe was in a rumoure, and there came a flight thorow God. And Sauls watchmē at Gibea Bē Iamin sawe, that y^e multitude gat them awaye, and ran∣ne to and fro.

Saul sayde vnto the people that was with him: Tell and se which of vs is gone a∣waye. And whan they nombred, beholde, Io¦nathas & his wapen bearer was not there.

Then saide Saul vnto Ahia: Brynge hither the Arke of God (for at that tyme was the Arke of God with the children of Israel.) And whyle Saul was yet speakynge to the prest, the multitude in the Philistynes hoost gat vp, ranne, and was greate. And Saul sayde vnto the prest: Withdrawe thine han∣de. And Saul cried, and all the people that was with him, and came to the battayll. And beholde, euery mans swerde was a∣gaynst another, and there was a very grea∣te rumoure.

The Hebrues also that were with y^e Phi¦listynes afore, and had gone vp with them in the hoost on euery syde, ioyned them sel∣ues vnto Israel which were with Saul and Ionathas. And all the men of Israel which had hyd thē selues vpon mount Ephraim, whan they herde that the Philistynes fled, folowed after them in the battayll. Thus y^e LORDE helped Israel at that tyme, and y^e battayll lasted vnto Bethauen.

[ D] And whan the men of Israel came forth, Saul charged all the people the same daye, and sayde: Cursed be euery man, which ea∣teth bred vntyll euen, that I maye auenge me on myne enemies. Then all the people taisted no bred. And all the people of the lon¦de came in to the wodd. But there laye hony vpon the felde: and whan the people came in to the wodd, heholde, the hony flowed, but no man put of it to his mouth with his hāde: for the people were afraied because of the ooth. As for Ionathas he had not herde, that his father had charged the people, and he put forth his staff that he had in his han¦de, and dypped the ende of it in y^e hony c••m¦be, and turned his hande to his mouth, and his eyes were lighted.

Then answered one of the people, and say¦de: Thy father hath charged the people, and sayde: Cursed be euery mā that eateth ough¦te this daye. Neuertheles the people were faynte. Then sayde Ionathas: My father hath troubled the londe: Se how lighte my∣ne eyes are become, because I haue taisted a litle of this hony. Yf the people this daie had eatē of the spoyle of their enemies that they founde, the slaughter shulde haue be∣ne greater agaynst the Philistynes. Yet smo¦te they the Philistynes the same daye fro Michmas vnto Aialon, and the people we∣re very weery.

[ E] And y^e people turned to the spoyles, and toke shepe and oxen, and calues, and slewe them vpon the earth, and ate them with the bloude. Then was it tolde Saul: Behol¦de, the people synne agaynst the LORDE, in that they eate bloude. He ••ayde: Ye haue do¦ne euell: roll vnto me now a greate stone. And Saul sayde morouer: Go abrode amō∣ge the people, and saye vnto them, that eue∣ry one brynge me his oxe and his shepe, and slaye them here, that ye maye eate, and not to synne agaynst the LORDE with eatynge of bloude. Then broughte all the people eue¦ry one his oxe with his hāde the same nigh¦te, and slewe them there. And Saul buylded an altare vnto y^e LORDE. This is the first altare that he buylded vnto the LORDE.

And Saul sayde: Let vs go downe after the Philistynes, by nighte, and spoyle them tyll it be cleare mornynge, that we let none escape. They answered: Do what so euer plea¦seth the. But the prest sayde: Let vs go nye here vnto God. And Saul axed at God. Shal I go downe here after y^e Philistines? & wilt thou delyuer thē in to Israels hande? Neuertheles he answered him not at that tyme.

Then sayde Saul: Let all the armyes of [ F] the people come hither, and make search and se, in whom is this synne at this tyme. For as truly as God the Sauioure of Israel ly∣ueth, & though it be in my sonne Ionathas, he shal dye. And no man answered him of all the people. And he sayde vnto all Israel: Be ye on the one syde, I & my sonne Ionathas wyl be on this syde. The people sayde vnto Saul: Do as it pleaseth the. And Saul say∣de vnto the LORDE the God of Israel: Do thou that right is. Thē was Ionathas and Saul taken: but the people wente forth fre. Saul sayde: Cast the lot ouer me and my son¦ne Ionathas. So Ionathas was takē. And Saul sayde vnto Ionathas: Tell me, what hast thou done? Ionathas tolde him, & say∣de: I taisted a litle hony with the staff that I had in my hande, and beholde, must I dye therfore? Thē sayde Saul: God do this and that vnto me, Ionathas thou must dye the death.

But the people sayde vnto Saul: Shul∣de [ G] Ionathas dye, that hath done so greate health in Israel this night? God forbyd. As truly as the LORDE lyueth, there shal not one heer of his heade fall vpon y^e earth: for with God hath he wroughte at this ty∣me. So the people delyuered Ionathas, that he dyed not. Then wente Saul vp from the Philistynes: and the Philistynes wente vnto their place.

But whan Saul had cōqu••red the kyng¦dome ouer Israel, he foughte against all his

enemyes rounde aboute, against the Moabi¦tes, agaynst the childrē of Ammon, agaynst the Edomites, agaynst the kynge of Zoba, agaynst y^e Philistynes: and whither so euer he turned him, he gat y^e victory. And he ma¦de an hoost, and smote y^e Amalechites, and delyuered Israel from the hande of all tho∣se that spoyled them.

Saul had these sonnes: Ionathas, Isui, and Malchisua. And these were y^e names of his two doughters: the firstborne Merob, & y^e yōgest Michol. And Sauls wife was cal¦led Ahinoam, the doughter of Ahimaas. And his chefe captaynes name was Abner, the sonne of Ner, Sauls vncle. Cis was y^e father of Saul. But Ner y^e father of Ab∣ner was the sonne of Abiel.

There was a mightie sore warre against the Philistynes, as lōge as Saul lyued. And where Saul sawe a man that was stronge and mete for y^e warre, he toke him to him.

Notes

• Re. 13. d
• 2. Par. 14
• Iudi••. 14▪
• ••. Mac. 4▪
• Iudi 14▪
• 1. Re. 13.
• Iosu. 10. Iud. 4. c
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 7. f •• Pa. 20. d
• Re. 1••. b
• ••eui. ••. c ••ud 1•• f
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 2••. c
• 〈…〉〈…〉. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 9. a