1 Samuel 14
Open in the reader1One day He-Who-Is-Has-Given son of Asked-For said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But He-Who-Is-Has-Given did not tell his father.
2Meanwhile, Asked-For was staying under the pomegranate tree in Precipice on the outskirts of The-Hill. And the troops who were with him numbered about six hundred men,
3including My-Brother-Is-He-Who-Is, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of No-Glory’s brother My-Brother-Is-Goodness son of Phinehas, the son of My-Lifting-Up the priest of He-Who-Is in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that He-Who-Is-Has-Given had left.
4Now there were cliffs on both sides of the pass that He-Who-Is-Has-Given intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost. One was named Glistening and the other Seneh.
5One cliff stood to the north toward Hidden-Place, and the other to the south toward Hillock.
6He-Who-Is-Has-Given said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps He-Who-Is will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder He-Who-Is from saving, whether by many or by few.”
7His armor-bearer replied, “Do all that is in your heart. Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
8“Very well,” said He-Who-Is-Has-Given, “we will cross over toward these men and show ourselves to them.
9If they say, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stay where we are and will not go up to them.
10But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ then we will go up, because this will be our sign that He-Who-Is has delivered them into our hands.”
11So the two of them showed themselves to the outpost of the Philistines, who exclaimed, “Look, the Crosser are coming out of the holes in which they were hiding!”
12So the men of the outpost called out to He-Who-Is-Has-Given and his armor-bearer, “Come on up, and we will teach you a lesson!” “Follow me,” He-Who-Is-Has-Given told his armor-bearer, “for He-Who-Is has delivered them into the hand of Strives-with-God.”
13So He-Who-Is-Has-Given climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. And the Philistines fell before He-Who-Is-Has-Given, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off.
14In that first assault, He-Who-Is-Has-Given and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men in about half an acre of land.
15Then panic struck the Philistines in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even those in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. Indeed, the earth quaked, and panic spread from God.
16Now when Asked-For’s watchmen at The-Hill in Son-of-the-Right-Hand looked and saw the troops melting away and scattering in every direction,
17Asked-For said to the troops who were with him, “Call the roll and see who has left us.” And when they had called the roll, they saw that He-Who-Is-Has-Given and his armor-bearer were not there.
18Then Asked-For said to My-Brother-Is-He-Who-Is, “Bring the Chest of God.” (For at that time it was with the children of Strives-with-God.)
19While Asked-For was talking to the priest, the commotion in the Philistine camp continued to increase. So Asked-For said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
20Then Asked-For and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor.
21And the Crosser who had previously gone up into the surrounding camps to join the Philistines now went over to the Strives-with-Godites who were with Asked-For and He-Who-Is-Has-Given.
22When all the children of Strives-with-God who had been hiding in the hill country of Double-Fruit heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined the battle in close pursuit.
23So He-Who-Is saved Strives-with-God that day, and the battle moved on beyond House-of-Iniquity-aven.
24Now the men of Strives-with-God were in distress that day, for Asked-For had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.
25Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.
26And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.
27He-Who-Is-Has-Given, however, had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
28Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.”
29“My father has brought trouble to the land,” He-Who-Is-Has-Given replied. “Just look at how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.
30How much better it would have been if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been much greater?”
31That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Hidden-Place to Place-of-Deer, the people were very faint.
32So they rushed greedily to the plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them on the ground and ate meat with the blood still in it.
33Then someone reported to Asked-For: “Look, the troops are sinning against He-Who-Is by eating meat with the blood still in it.” “You have broken faith,” said Asked-For. “Roll a large stone over here at once.”
34Then he said, “Go among the troops and tell them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep, slaughter them in this place, and then eat. Do not sin against He-Who-Is by eating meat with the blood still in it.’” So that night everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there.
35Then Asked-For built an altar to He-Who-Is; it was the first time he had built an altar to He-Who-Is.
36And Asked-For said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until dawn, leaving no man alive!” “Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied. But the priest said, “We must consult God here.”
37So Asked-For inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Strives-with-God?” But God did not answer him that day.
38Therefore Asked-For said, “Come here, all you leaders of the troops, and let us investigate how this sin has occurred today.
39As surely as He-Who-Is who saves Strives-with-God lives, even if it is my son He-Who-Is-Has-Given, he must die!” But not one of the troops said a word.
40Then Asked-For said to all Strives-with-God, “You stand on one side, and I and my son He-Who-Is-Has-Given will stand on the other side.” “Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.
41So Asked-For said to He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son He-Who-Is-Has-Given, respond with Urim, but if the fault is with the men of Strives-with-God, respond with Thummim.” And He-Who-Is-Has-Given and Asked-For were selected, but the people were cleared of the charge.
42Then Asked-For said, “Cast the lot between me and my son He-Who-Is-Has-Given.” And He-Who-Is-Has-Given was selected.
43“Tell me what you have done,” Asked-For commanded him. So He-Who-Is-Has-Given told him, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I must die?”
44And Asked-For declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, He-Who-Is-Has-Given, do not surely die!”
45But the people said to Asked-For, “Must He-Who-Is-Has-Given die—he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Strives-with-God? Never! As surely as He-Who-Is lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.” So the people rescued He-Who-Is-Has-Given, and he did not die.
46Then Asked-For gave up his pursuit of the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their own land.
47After Asked-For had assumed the kingship over Strives-with-God, he fought against all his enemies on every side—the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of Station, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them.
48He fought valiantly and defeated the children of Amalek, delivering Strives-with-God from the hands of its plunderers.
49Now the sons of Asked-For were He-Who-Is-Has-Given, He-Resembles, and My-King-Is-Salvation. His two daughters were named Increase (his firstborn) and Brook (his younger daughter).
50His wife’s name was My-Brother-Is-Pleasant daughter of My-Brother-Is-Wrath. The name of the commander of his army was My-Father-Is-a-Lamp, the son of Asked-For’s uncle Lamp.
51Asked-For’s father Bow and My-Father-Is-a-Lamp’s father Lamp were sons of My-Father-Is-God.
52And the war with the Philistines was fierce for all the days of Asked-For. So whenever he noticed any strong or brave man, Asked-For would enlist him.