The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Ionathas and his harnes bearer putteth the Phi∣listines to fl••ght. He tasteth the Honye.

CAPI. XIIII.

ANd it fortuned the same tyme, that Io∣nathas [unspec A] the son of Saul sayde vnto his yong man that bare his harnes: come, and let vs go ouer to the Philistines watche that are yonder on the other syde, & he tolde not his father. And Saul taryed in the vtter¦most parte of Gibea vnder Rimmon, whiche is in Migron, & the people that were w^t hym were vpon a. vi. C. men. And Ahia the son of Ahitob Iehabods brother, the sonne of Phi∣nches, the son of Eli, was the Lordes preest in Silo, and ware an Ephod. And the people wist not that Ionathas was gone. And in the myddes of the passage (by whiche Ionathas sought to go ouer vnto the Philistin{is} watch) were there two sharpe cockes, euē one on the one syde, & the other on the other syde: the one called Bozez, and the other Senne. The fore front of the one, leaned northward / towarde [unspec B] Michmas, and the other was southwarde, towarde Gibea. And Ionathas sayde to the yong man that bare his harnes: come and let vs go ouer vnto the watche of these vncir∣cumcised, peraduenture the lorde wyll worke with vs: for it is no hardnesse with the Lorde * 1.1 to saue eyther in many or in fewe. And his harnes berer sayde vnto hym: Do all that is in thyne herte. Go where it pleaseth the: Be∣holde, I am with the, as thyne herte lusteth. Then sayd Ionathas: Beholde, we go ouer vnto these men, & shal shewe our selues vnto them: yf they say on this wyse to vs: tary, vn∣tyll we come to you, then we wyll stande styll in our place, & not go vp vnto them. But and yf they say: come vp vnto vs, then we wyl go vp, for * 1.2 the lorde hath delyuered them in to our hand{is}. And this shalbe a sygne vnto vs. And they bothe shewed them selues vnto the watch of the Philistin{is}. And the Philistines sayd: Se, the Hebrues come out of the holes where they had hyd them selues in. And the men of the watche answered Ionathas and his harnes bearer, and sayde: come vp to vs, and we wyll shewe you a thynge. And Iona∣thas sayd vnto his harnes bearer: Come vp after me, for the Lorde hath delyuered them in to the hande of Israell. And Ionathas clambe vp vpon handes & fete, & his harnes berer after hym. And ❀ (so vvhen they had sene ••onathas face) they fell before Ionathas: & his harnes berer slue them after hym. And that fyrst slaughter whiche Ionathas & his harnes berer made, was vpon a. rr. men, w^t us the compasse as it were aboute an halfe aker of lande. And there was a feare in the hoost, [unspec E] in the felde, & among all people: in so moche that they that were gone out of the watch to rob, were afrayde also: & the earth trymbled, for the feare that was sent of God. And the watchmē of Saul in Gibea Beniamin, saw. And beholde, the people (of the Philistines) were scattered & were smytten as they wente. Then sayde Saul vnto the people that was with hym: Searche & se, who is gone awaye frō vs. And when they had nombred: beholde Ionathas & his harnes berer were not there. And Saul sayd vnto Ahia: bryng hyther the arke of god. For the arke of god was at that tyme with the chyldren of Israel. And it for∣tuned that whyle Saul talked vnto the preest, the noyse that was in the hoost of the Phili∣stines syred farther abrode, & increased ❀ (by lytle and lytle, and gaue a more cleare founde) And Saul sayde vnto the preest: withdrawe thyne handes. And Saull ioyned hym selfe vnto all the people that were with hym, and they came to the battayle. And behold * 1.3 euery mannes swerde was agaynst his felowe, and there was a very great tumour. Moreouer, the Hebrues that were with the Philistines before that tyme, and were come with them in to al partes of the hoost, turned, to be with the Israelites that were with Saul & Iona∣thas. And al the mē of Israel also, which had hyd them selues in moūt Ephraim, as soone

as they herde howe that the Philistines were [unspec D] fled, they folowed after them in the battayle. And so god helped Israel that daye. And the battayl cōtinued vnto Bethauen. And whyle the men of Israell were kepte downe with hunger that daye, Saull charged the people with an othe, saynge. Cursed be the man that eateth any food vntyll nyght, tyll I be auen∣ged of myne enemyes. And so, noone of the people tasted any sustcnaunce. And al the in∣habitours of the land came to a wood where houy lay vpon the grounde. And the people came in to the wood: And beholde, the honye dropped, and no man moued his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the othe. But Ionathas herde not when his father char∣ged the people with the othe, wherfore he put forth the ende of the rod that wasin his hand & dypte it in an hony combe, & put his hande to his mouth, and ☞ his eyes receyued sight. Then answered one of the people and sayde: thy father adiuted the peple, saynge: Cursed be the man that eateth any sustenaunce this day, and the people were fayntye. Then sayde Ionathas: my father hath troubled the land se howe myne eyes haue receyued syght, by∣cause I tasted a lytell of this honye: Howe moche more then to daye: yf the people had eaten of the spoyle of theyr enemyes, whiche they founde. And had there not bene then a moche greater slaughter among the Philisti¦nes? And they layde on the Philistines that day, from Michmas to Aiolon. And the peo∣ple were excedyng fayntye.

And the people gat them to the spoyle, and [unspec E] toke shepe, oxen, and calues, and slue them on the grounde, and the people dyd eate them * 1.4 with the bloode. Then men tolde Saull, sayenge: Beholde, the people synne agaynste the Lorde, in that they eate with the blood.

And he sayde: ye haue trespassed. Rowle a greate stone vnto me this day, & Saul sayde agayne: Go abrode amonge the people, and byd them brynge me euery man his oxe, and euery man his shepe, and fley them here, and synne not agaynst the Lorde in eatynge with the blood. And the people brought euery mā his oxe in his hande, by nyght, and flue them there. And Saull made an aulter vnto the Lorde. And that was the fyrst aulter that he made vnto the Lorde. And Saul sayd: let vs go downe after the Philistines by night and spoyle them, vntyll it be day in the mornyng, & let vs not leaue one man of them. And they sayde: do what soeuer thou thynkest best. Then sayd the preest: let vs come hyther vn∣to God. And Saul asked of God: shall I go downe after the Philistines?wylte thou de∣lyuer them in to the handes of Israell? But be answered hym not at that tyme. And Saul sayde: Let the people come hyther out of all quarters, and knowe and se by whome this synne is chaunced this daye: for as truely as the lorde lyueth which saueth Israel, though it be in Ionathas my sonne, he shall dye the death. But there was no man among all the people that answered hym.

Then he sayde vnto all Israell: be ye on [unspec F] one syde, and I and Ionathas my sonne wyl be on the other syde. And the people sayd vn∣to Saul: what thou thynkest best, that do. Therfore Saul sayd vnto the Lorde God of Israel: Gyue a perfyte lot ❀ (Lorde god, gyue thou the indgement. Hovve happeneth it, that thou gyuest thy seruaunt no ansvvere to daye? Yf this syn be in me, or in Ionathas my sonne, shevv it, or yf this iniquyte be in thy people.) And Saul and Ionathas were caught, but the people scaped free. And Saul sayde: cast lottes bytwene me and Ionathas my sonne. And Ionathas was caught. Thē Saul sayd to Ionathas: tell me what thou hast done. And Ionathas tolde hym, and sayd: I tasted a lytell honye with the ende of the rod that was in myne hande: and lo, I must dye.

Saul answered: * 1.5 God do so and so with me, thou shalte dye the death Ionathas. And the people sayd vnto Saul: shall Ionathas dye, whiche hath so myghtely helped Israel? God forbyd. As truely as the Lorde lyueth * 1.6 there shall not one heere of his heade fall to the grounde: For he hath wrought with God this daye. And so the people delyuered Ionathas, that he dyed not. And then Saul departed vp from folowynge the Philisti∣nes. [unspec G] And the Philistines went to theyr owne place. And so Saul helde the kyngdom ouer Israell, and faught agaynst all his enemyes on euery syde: agaynst Moab: agaynst the chyldren of Ammon: agaynst Edom: agaynst the kynges of Zoba, and agaynst the Phili∣stines. And whyther soeuer he turned hym selfe, there he wan: and he gathered his hoost togyther, and sinote the * 1.7 Amaleckites, and tyd Israell out of the handes of them that spoyled them. The sonnes of Saul were: Ionathas, Iosui, and Melchisua. And his two doughters were thus named: the elder was called Merob, and the yonger Michol. And the name of Saules wyr̄e, was Ahinoa the doughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of his cheyfe captayne was Abner the sonne of Ner, Saules vncle.

And * 1.8 Cis was Saules father. And Ner

the father of Abner was the sonne of Abiell. And there was sore wacre agaynst the Phili¦stines, al the dayes of Saul. And who soeuer Saul sawe to be a strong man, and mete for the warre, he toke hym vnto hym.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••••a. 14. ••.
• * 1.2

  1. Math. 4 ••
• * 1.3

  Iu•••••••• 7. •• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Pa. xx. ••.
• * 1.4

  ••cuit vii c and. xix. ••
• * 1.5

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••
• * 1.6

  2. 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.7

  Diui••••
• * 1.8

  1. 〈…〉〈…〉