One Year Bible.

Jonathan’s Victory over the Philistines

¹One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But Jonathan did not tell his father.

²Meanwhile, Saul was staying under the pomegranate tree in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah. And the troops who were with him numbered about six hundred men, ³including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.

⁴Now there were cliffs on both sides of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost. One was named Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵One cliff stood to the north toward Michmash, and the other to the south toward Geba.

⁶Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD 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 Jonathan, “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 the LORD has delivered them into our hands.”

¹¹So the two of them showed themselves to the outpost of the Philistines, who exclaimed, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they were hiding!”

¹²So the men of the outpost called out to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come on up, and we will teach you a lesson!”

“Follow me,” Jonathan told his armor-bearer, “for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”

¹³So Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. And the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off. ¹⁴In that first assault, Jonathan 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 Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in Benjamin looked and saw the troops melting away and scattering in every direction, ¹⁷Saul 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 Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

¹⁸Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.) ¹⁹While Saul was talking to the priest, the commotion in the Philistine camp continued to increase. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

²⁰Then Saul 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 Hebrews who had previously gone up into the surrounding camps to join the Philistines now went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²²When all the Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined the battle in close pursuit.

²³So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth-aven.

Jonathan Eats the Honey

²⁴Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul 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.

²⁷Jonathan, 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,” Jonathan 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 Michmash to Aijalon, 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 Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.”

“You have broken faith,” said Saul. “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 the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.’”

So that night everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there. ³⁵Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.

³⁶And Saul 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.”

The People Save Jonathan

³⁷So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?”

But God did not answer him that day.

³⁸Therefore Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the troops, and let us investigate how this sin has occurred today. ³⁹As surely as the LORD who saves Israel lives, even if it is my son Jonathan, he must die!”

But not one of the troops said a word.

⁴⁰Then Saul said to all Israel, “You stand on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will stand on the other side.”

“Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.

⁴¹So Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people were cleared of the charge.

⁴²Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected.

⁴³“Tell me what you have done,” Saul commanded him.

So Jonathan 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 Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”

⁴⁵But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die — he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD 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 Jonathan, and he did not die. ⁴⁶Then Saul gave up his pursuit of the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their own land.

Saul’s Victories

⁴⁷After Saul had assumed the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side — the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them. ⁴⁸He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of its plunderers.

⁴⁹Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter). ⁵⁰His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner. ⁵¹Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.

⁵²And the war with the Philistines was fierce for all the days of Saul. So whenever he noticed any strong or brave man, Saul would enlist him.

Bildad: Job Should Repent

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

²“How long will you go on saying such things?

The words of your mouth are a blustering wind.

³Does God pervert justice?

Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

⁴When your children sinned against Him,

He gave them over to their rebellion.

⁵But if you would earnestly seek God

and ask the Almighty for mercy,

⁶if you are pure and upright,

even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf

and restore your righteous estate.

⁷Though your beginnings were modest,

your latter days will flourish.

⁸Please inquire of past generations

and consider the discoveries of their fathers.

⁹For we were born yesterday and know nothing;

our days on earth are but a shadow.

¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you,

and speak from their understanding?

¹¹Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh?

Do reeds flourish without water?

¹²While the shoots are still uncut,

they dry up more quickly than grass.

¹³Such is the destiny of all who forget God;

so the hope of the godless will perish.

¹⁴His confidence is fragile;

his security is in a spider’s web.

¹⁵He leans on his web, but it gives way;

he holds fast, but it does not endure.

¹⁶He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine,

spreading its shoots over the garden.

¹⁷His roots wrap around the rock heap;

he looks for a home among the stones.

¹⁸If he is uprooted from his place,

it will disown him, saying, ‘ I never saw you.’

¹⁹Surely this is the joy of his way;

yet others will spring from the dust.

²⁰Behold, God does not reject the blameless,

nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers.

²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,

and your lips with a shout of joy.

²²Your enemies will be clothed in shame,

and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”

James Killed, Peter Imprisoned

¹About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church. ²He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

³And seeing that this pleased the Jews, Herod proceeded to seize Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. ⁴He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

The Rescue of Peter

⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.

⁶On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison. ⁷Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists. ⁸“Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

⁹So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision. ¹⁰They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.

¹¹Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

¹²And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying. ¹³He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. ¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”

¹⁵“You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded. ¹⁷Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

¹⁸At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.

The Death of Herod

²⁰Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food. ²¹On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people. ²²And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”

²³Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.

²⁵When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, bringing with them John, also called Mark.