War with the Philistines

13¹ A son of a year 'is' Saul in his reigning, yea, two years he hath reigned over Israel, ² and Saul chooseth for himself three thousand 'men' out of Israel; and two thousand are with Saul in Michmash, and in the hill-country of Beth-El; and a thousand have been with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the remnant of the people he hath sent each to his tents. ³ And Jonathan smiteth the garrison of the Philistines which 'is' in Geba, and the Philistines hear, and Saul hath blown with a trumpet through all the land, saying, 'Let the Hebrews hear.' ⁴ And all Israel have heard, saying, 'Saul hath smitten the garrison of the Philistines,' and also, 'Israel hath been abhorred by the Philistines;' and the people are called after Saul to Gilgal. ⁵ And the Philistines have been gathered to fight with Israel; thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and a people as the sand which 'is' on the sea-shore for multitude; and they come up and encamp in Michmash, east of Beth-Aven. ⁶ And the men of Israel have seen that they are distressed, that the people hath been oppressed, and the people hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. ⁷ And Hebrews have passed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; and Saul 'is' yet in Gilgal, and all the people have trembled after him.

⁸ And he waiteth seven days, according to the appointment with Samuel, and Samuel hath not come to Gilgal, and the people are scattered from off him. ⁹ And Saul saith, 'Bring nigh unto me the burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings;' and he causeth the burnt-offering to ascend. ¹⁰ And it cometh to pass at his completing to cause the burnt-offering to ascend, that lo, Samuel hath come, and Saul goeth out to meet him, to bless him; ¹¹ and Samuel saith, 'What hast thou done?' And Saul saith, 'Because I saw that the people were scattered from off me, and thou hadst not come at the appointment of the days, and the Philistines are gathered to Michmash, ¹² and I say, Now do the Philistines come down unto me to Gilgal, and the face of Jehovah I have not appeased; and I force myself, and cause the burnt-offering to ascend.' ¹³ And Samuel saith unto Saul, 'Thou hast been foolish; thou hast not kept the command of Jehovah thy God, which He commanded thee, for now had Jehovah established thy kingdom over Israel unto the age; ¹⁴ and, now, thy kingdom doth not stand, Jehovah hath sought for Himself a man according to His own heart, and Jehovah chargeth him for leader over His people, for thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee.'

¹⁵ And Samuel riseth, and goeth up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin; and Saul inspecteth the people who are found with him, about six hundred men, ¹⁶ and Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who are found with them, are abiding in Gibeah of Benjamin, and the Philistines have encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ And the destroyer goeth out from the camp of the Philistines—three detachments; the one detachment turneth unto the way of Ophrah, unto the land of Shual; ¹⁸ and the one detachment turneth the way of Beth-Horon, and the one detachment turneth the way of the border which is looking on the valley of the Zeboim, toward the wilderness. ¹⁹ And an artificer is not found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, 'Lest the Hebrews make sword or spear;' ²⁰ and all Israel go down to the Philistines, to sharpen each his ploughshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock; ²¹ and there hath been the file for mattocks, and for coulters, and for three-pronged rakes, and for the axes, and to set up the goads. ²² And it hath been, in the day of battle, that there hath not been found sword and spear in the hand of any of the people who 'are' with Saul and with Jonathan—and there is found to Saul and to Jonathan his son. ²³ And the station of the Philistines goeth out unto the passage of Michmash.

14¹ And the day cometh that Jonathan son of Saul saith unto the young man bearing his weapons, 'Come, and we pass over unto the station of the Philistines, which 'is' on the other side of this;' and to his father he hath not declared 'it'. ² And Saul is abiding at the extremity of Gibeah, under the pomegranate which 'is' in Migron, and the people who 'are' with him, about six hundred men, ³ and Ahiah, son of Ahitub, brother of I-Chabod, son of Phinehas son of Eli priest of Jehovah in Shiloh, bearing an ephod; and the people knew not that Jonathan hath gone. ⁴ And between the passages where Jonathan sought to pass over unto the station of the Philistines 'is' the edge of a rock on the one side, and the edge of a rock on the other side, and the name of the one is Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ⁵ The one edge 'is' fixed on the north over-against Michmash, and the one on the south over-against Gibeah. ⁶ And Jonathan saith unto the young man bearing his weapons, 'Come, and we pass over unto the station of these uncircumcised; it may be Jehovah doth work for us, for there is no restraint to Jehovah to save by many or by few.' ⁷ And the bearer of his weapons saith to him, 'Do all that 'is' in thy heart; turn for thee; lo, I 'am' with thee, as thine own heart.' ⁸ And Jonathan saith, 'Lo, we are passing over unto the men, and are revealed unto them; ⁹ if thus they say unto us, 'Stand still till we have come unto you,' then we have stood in our place, and do not go up unto them; ¹⁰ and if thus they say, 'Come up against us,' then we have gone up, for Jehovah hath given them into our hand, and this to us 'is' the sign. ¹¹ And revealed are both of them unto the station of the Philistines, and the Philistines say, 'Lo, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hid themselves.' ¹² And the men of the station answer Jonathan, and the bearer of his weapons, and say, 'Come up unto us, and we cause you to know something.' And Jonathan saith unto the bearer of his weapons, 'Come up after me, for Jehovah hath given them into the hand of Israel.' ¹³ And Jonathan goeth up on his hands, and on his feet, and the bearer of his weapons after him; and they fall before Jonathan, and the bearer of his weapons is putting to death after him. ¹⁴ And the first smiting which Jonathan and the bearer of his weapons have smitten is of about twenty men, in about half a furrow of a yoke of a field, ¹⁵ and there is a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people, the station and the destroyers have trembled—even they, and the earth shaketh, and it becometh a trembling of God.

¹⁶ And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin see, and lo, the multitude hath melted away, and it goeth on, and is beaten down. ¹⁷ And Saul saith to the people who 'are' with him, 'Inspect, I pray you, and see; who hath gone from us?' and they inspect, and lo, Jonathan and the bearer of his weapons are not. ¹⁸ And Saul saith to Ahiah, 'Bring nigh the ark of God;' for the ark of God hath been on that day with the sons of Israel. ¹⁹ And it cometh to pass, while Saul spake unto the priest, that the noise which 'is' in the camp of the Philistines goeth on, going on and becoming great, and Saul saith unto the priest, 'Remove thy hand.' ²⁰ And Saul is called, and all the people who 'are' with him, and they come in unto the battle, and, lo, the sword of each hath been against his neighbour—a very great destruction. ²¹ And the Hebrews 'who' have been for the Philistines as heretofore, who had gone up with them into the camp, have turned round, even they, to be with Israel who 'are' with Saul and Jonathan, ²² and all the men of Israel, who are hiding themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, have heard that the Philistines have fled, and they pursue—even they—after them in battle. ²³ And Jehovah saveth Israel on that day, and the battle hath passed over to Beth-Aven.

²⁴ And the men of Israel have been distressed on that day, and Saul adjureth the people, saying, 'Cursed 'is' the man who eateth food till the evening, and I have been avenged of mine enemies;' and none of the people hath tasted food. ²⁵ And all 'they of' the land have come into a forest, and there is honey on the face of the field; ²⁶ and the people come in unto the forest, and lo, the honey dropped, and none is moving his hand unto his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷ And Jonathan hath not heard of his father's adjuring the people, and putteth forth the end of the rod, which 'is' in his hand, and dippeth it in the honeycomb, and bringeth back his hand unto his mouth—and his eyes see! ²⁸ And a man of the people answereth and saith, 'Thy father certainly adjured the people, saying, Cursed 'is' the man who eateth food to-day; and the people are weary.' ²⁹ And Jonathan saith, 'My father hath troubled the land; see, I pray you, that mine eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much more if the people had well eaten to-day of the spoil of its enemies which it hath found, for now, the smiting hath not been great among the Philistines.' ³¹ And they smite on that day among the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people are very weary, ³² and the people make unto the spoil, and take sheep, and oxen, and sons of the herd, and slaughter on the earth, and the people eat with the blood. ³³ And they declare to Saul, saying, 'Lo, the people are sinning against Jehovah, to eat with the blood.' And he saith, 'Ye have dealt treacherously, roll unto me to-day a great stone.' ³⁴ And Saul saith, 'Be ye scattered among the people, and ye have said to them, Bring ye nigh unto me each his ox, and each his sheep; and ye have slain 'them' in this place, and eaten, and ye do not sin against Jehovah to eat with the blood.' And all the people bring nigh each his ox, in his hand, that night, and slaughter 'them' there. ³⁵ And Saul buildeth an alter to Jehovah; with it he hath begun to build altars to Jehovah.

³⁶ And Saul saith, 'Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and we prey upon them till the light of the morning, and leave not a man of them.' And they say, 'All that is good in thine eyes do.' And the priest saith, 'Let us draw near hither unto God.' ³⁷ And Saul asketh of God, 'Do I go down after the Philistines? dost Thou give them into the hand of Israel?' and He hath not answered him on that day. ³⁸ And Saul saith, 'Draw ye nigh hither all, the chiefs of the people, and know and see in what this sin hath been to-day; ³⁹ for, Jehovah liveth, who is saving Israel: surely if it be in Jonathan my son, surely he doth certainly die;' and none is answering him out of all the people. ⁴⁰ And he saith unto all Israel, 'Ye—ye are on one side, and I and Jonathan my son are on another side;' and the people say unto Saul, 'That which is good in thine eyes do.' ⁴¹ And Saul saith unto Jehovah, God of Israel, 'Give perfection;' and Jonathan and Saul are captured, and the people went out. ⁴² And Saul saith, 'Cast between me and Jonathan my son;' and Jonathan is captured. ⁴³ And Saul saith unto Jonathan, 'Declare to me, what hast thou done?' and Jonathan declareth to him, and saith, 'I certainly tasted with the end of the rod that 'is' in my hand a little honey; lo, I die!' ⁴⁴ And Saul saith, 'Thus doth God do, and thus doth He add, for thou dost certainly die, Jonathan.' ⁴⁵ And the people say unto Saul, 'Doth Jonathan die who wrought this great salvation in Israel?—a profanation! Jehovah liveth, if there falleth from the hair of his head to the earth, for with God he hath wrought this day;' and the people rescue Jonathan, and he hath not died. ⁴⁶ And Saul goeth up from after the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone to their place;

⁴⁷ and Saul captured the kingdom over Israel, and he fighteth round about against all his enemies, against Moab, and against the Bene-Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines, and whithersoever he turneth he doth vex 'them'. ⁴⁸ And he maketh a force, and smiteth Amalek, and delivereth Israel out of the hand of its spoiler. ⁴⁹ And the sons of Saul are Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchi-Shua; as to the name of his two daughters, the name of the first-born 'is' Merab, and the name of the younger Michal; ⁵⁰ and the name of the wife of Saul 'is' Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz; and the name of the head of his host 'is' Abner son of Ner, uncle of Saul; ⁵¹ and Kish 'is' father of Saul, and Ner father of Abner 'is' son of Ahiel. ⁵² And the war is severe against the Philistines all the days of Saul; when Saul hath seen any mighty man, and any son of valour, then he doth gather him unto himself.

The Mission of the Seventy

10¹ And after these things, the Lord did appoint also other seventy, and sent them by twos before his face, to every city and place whither he himself was about to come, ² then said he unto them, 'The harvest indeed 'is' abundant, but the workmen few; beseech ye then the Lord of the harvest, that He may put forth workmen to His harvest. ³ 'Go away; lo, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves; ⁴ carry no bag, no scrip, nor sandals; and salute no one on the way; ⁵ and into whatever house ye do enter, first say, Peace to this house; ⁶ and if indeed there may be there the son of peace, rest on it shall your peace; and if not so, upon you it shall turn back. ⁷ 'And in that house remain, eating and drinking the things they have, for worthy 'is' the workman of his hire; go not from house to house, ⁸ and into whatever city ye enter, and they may receive you, eat the things set before you, ⁹ and heal the ailing in it, and say to them, The reign of God hath come nigh to you. ¹⁰ 'And into whatever city ye do enter, and they may not receive you, having gone forth to its broad places, say, ¹¹ And the dust that hath cleaved to us, from your city, we do wipe off against you, but this know ye, that the reign of God hath come nigh to you; ¹² and I say to you, that for Sodom in that day it shall be more tolerable than for that city.

Woes to Unrepentant Cities

¹³ 'Wo to thee, Chorazin; wo to thee, Bethsaida; for if in Tyre and Sidon had been done the mighty works that were done in you, long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes, they had reformed; ¹⁴ but for Tyre and Sidon it shall be more tolerable in the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ 'And thou, Capernaum, which unto the heaven wast exalted, unto hades thou shalt be brought down. ¹⁶ 'He who is hearing you, doth hear me; and he who is putting you away, doth put me away; and he who is putting me away, doth put away Him who sent me.'

The Return of the Seventy

¹⁷ And the seventy turned back with joy, saying, 'Sir, and the demons are being subjected to us in thy name;' ¹⁸ and he said to them, 'I was beholding the Adversary, as lightning from the heaven having fallen; ¹⁹ lo, I give to you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy, and nothing by any means shall hurt you; ²⁰ but, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subjected to you, but rejoice rather that your names were written in the heavens.'

Jesus Rejoices

²¹ In that hour was Jesus glad in the Spirit, and said, 'I do confess to thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth, that Thou didst hide these things from wise men and understanding, and didst reveal them to babes; yes, Father, because so it became good pleasure before Thee. ²² 'All things were delivered up to me by my Father, and no one doth know who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whom the Son may wish to reveal 'Him'.' ²³ And having turned unto the disciples, he said, by themselves, 'Happy the eyes that are perceiving what ye perceive; ²⁴ for I say to you, that many prophets and kings did wish to see what ye perceive, and did not see, and to hear what ye hear, and did not hear.'