WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Samuel chapters

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13 and 14. Chapter 13 Saul reigned one year,

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and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

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Saul chose for himself three thousand men of

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Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash

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and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand

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were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The

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rest of the people he sent away every man to

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his tent. And Jonathan attacked the garrison

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of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the

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Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet

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throughout all the land, saying that the Hebrews

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hear. Now all Israel heard it said that Saul

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had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and

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that Israel had also become an abomination to

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the Philistines. And the people were called together

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to Saul at Gilgal. Then the Philistines gathered

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together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand

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chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people

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as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude.

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And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to

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the east of Beit Avin. When the men of Israel

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saw that they were in danger, for the people

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were distressed, then the people hid in caves,

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in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits.

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And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan

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to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he

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was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed

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him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according

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to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not

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come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered

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from him. So Saul said, Bring a burnt offering

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and peace offerings here to me. And he offered

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the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon

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as he had finished presenting the burnt offering,

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that Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him,

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that he might greet him. And Samuel said, What

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have you done? Saul said, When I saw that the

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people were scattered from me, and that you did

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not come within the days appointed, and that

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the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,

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then I said, The Philistines will now come down

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on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication

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to the Lord. Therefore I felt compelled and offered

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a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, You

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have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment

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of the Lord your God, which he commanded you.

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For now the Lord would have established your

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kingdom over Israel forever, but now your kingdom

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shall not continue. The Lord has sought for himself

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a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded

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him to be commander over his people, because

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you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

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Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to

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Gibeah of Benjamin, and Saul numbered the people

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present with him about six hundred men. Saul,

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Jonathan his son, and the people present with

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them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the

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Philistines encamped in Michmash. Then raiders

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came out of the camp of the Philistines in three

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companies. One company turned onto the road to

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Ophrah, to the land of Sheol. Another company

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turned to the road to Beit Horon. And another

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company turned to the road of the border that

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overlooks the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

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Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout

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all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said,

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Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. But all

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the Israelites would go down to the Philistines

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to sharpen each man's plowshare, his mattock,

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his axe, and his sickle. And the charge for sharpening

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was a pimp for the plowshares, the mattocks,

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the forks, and the axes, and to set the points

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of the goads. So it came about on the day of

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battle. that there was neither sword nor spear

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found in the hand of any of the people who were

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with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with

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Saul and Jonathan his son. And a garrison of

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the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

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Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son

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of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor,

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Come, let us go over to the Philistines' garrison

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that is on the other side. But he did not tell

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his father. and Saul was sitting in outskirts

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of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree, which is

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in Migron. The people who were with him were

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about 600 men. Ahijah, the son of Ahitob, Ichabod's

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brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli,

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the Lord's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod.

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But the people did not know that Jonathan had

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gone. Between the passes by which Jonathan sought

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to go over to the Philistines' garrison, there

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was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock

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on the other side. And the name of one was Bozes,

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and the name of the other Sene. The front of

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one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the

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other southward opposite Gibeah. Then Jonathan

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said to the young man who bore his armor, Come,

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let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.

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It may be that the Lord will work for us. For

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nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many

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or by few. So his armor -bearer said to him,

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Do all that is in your heart. Go then, here I

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am with you according to your heart. Then Jonathan

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said, Very well, let us cross over to these men,

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and we will show ourselves to them. If they say

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thus to us, Wait until we come to you, then we

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will stand still in our place and not go up to

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them. But if they say thus, Come up to us, then

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we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them

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into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.

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So both of them showed themselves to the garrison

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of the Philistines. And the Philistines said,

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Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes

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where they have hidden. Then the men of the garrison

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called to Jonathan and his armor -bearer and

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said, Come up to us, and we will show you something.

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Jonathan said to his armor -bearer, Come up after

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me, for the Lord has delivered them into the

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hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up on his

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hands and knees with his armor -bearer after

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him, and they fell before Jonathan. And as he

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came after him, his armor -bearer killed them.

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That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor

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-bearer made was about twenty men within about

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half an acre of land. And there was trembling

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in the camp, in the field, and among all the

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people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled,

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and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great

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trembling. Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah

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of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude

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melting away, and they went here and there. Then

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Saul said to the people who were with him, Now

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call the roll and see who has gone from us. And

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when they had called the roll, surprisingly,

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Jonathan and his armor -bearer were not there.

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And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring the ark of God

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here, for at that time the ark of God was with

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the children of Israel. Now it happened, while

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Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which

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was in the camp of the Philistines continued

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to increase. So Saul said to the priest, Withdraw

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your hand. Then Saul and all the people who were

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with him assembled, and they went to the battle.

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And indeed every man's sword was against his

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neighbor, and there was very great confusion.

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Moreover, the Hebrews who were with the Philistines

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before that time, who went up with them into

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the camp from the surrounding country, they also

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joined the Israelites who were with Saul and

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Jonathan. Likewise, all the men of Israel who

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had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when

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they heard that the Philistines fled, they also

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followed hard after them in the battle. So the

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Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted

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to Bait Oven. And the men of Israel were distressed

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that day, for Saul had placed the people under

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oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats any

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food until evening, before I have taken vengeance

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on my enemies. So none of the people tasted food.

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Now all the people of the land came to a forest,

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and there was honey on the ground. And when the

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people had come into the woods, there was the

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honey dripping. But no one put his hand to his

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mouth, for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan

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had not heard his father charge the people with

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the oath. Therefore he stretched out the end

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of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it

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in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth,

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and his countenance brightened. Then one of the

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people said, Your father strictly charged the

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people with an oath, saying, Cursed is the man

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who eats food this day. And the people were faint.

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But Jonathan said, My father has troubled the

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land. Look now how my countenance has brightened,

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because I tasted a little of this honey. How

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much better if the people had eaten freely today

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of the spoil of their enemies which they found.

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For now would there not have been a much greater

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slaughter among the Philistines? Now they had

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driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash

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to Aijalon. So the people were very faint, and

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the people rushed on the spoil and took sheep,

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oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the

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ground, and the people ate them with the blood.

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Then they told Saul, saying, Look, the people

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are sinning against the Lord by eating with the

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blood. So he said, You have dealt treacherously.

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Roll a large stone to me this day. Then Saul

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said, Disperse yourselves among the people and

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say to them, Bring me here every man's ox and

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every man's sheep. Slaughter them here and eat.

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And do not sin against the Lord by eating with

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the blood. So every one of the people brought

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his ox with him that night and slaughtered it

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there. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord.

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This was the first altar that he built to the

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Lord. Now Saul said, Let us go down after the

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Philistines by night and plunder them until the

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morning light, and let us not leave a man of

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them. And they said, Do whatever seems good to

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you. Then the priest said, Let us draw near to

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God here. So Saul asked counsel of God, Shall

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I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver

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them into the hand of Israel? But he did not

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answer him that day. And Saul said, Come over

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here, all you chiefs of the people, and know

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and see what this sin was today. For as the Lord

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lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan

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my son, he shall surely die. But not a man among

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all the people answered him. Then he said to

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all Israel, You be on one side, and my son Jonathan,

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and I will be on the other side. And the people

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said to Saul, Do what seems good to you. Therefore

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Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, Give a perfect

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lot. So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the

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people escaped. And Saul said, Cast lots between

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my son Jonathan and me. So Jonathan was taken.

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Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you

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have done. And Jonathan told him and said, I

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only tasted a little honey with the end of the

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rod that was in my hand, so now I must die. Saul

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answered, God do so and more also, for you shall

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surely die, Jonathan. But the people said to

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Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished

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this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not.

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As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall

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fall to the ground, for he has worked with God

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this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, and

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he did not die. Then Saul returned from pursuing

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the Philistines, and the Philistines went to

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their own place. So Saul established his sovereignty

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over Israel, and fought against all his enemies

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on every side, against Moab, against the people

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of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of

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Zobah, and the kings of the Philistines. Wherever

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he turned, he harassed them. And he gathered

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an army and attacked the Amalekites, and delivered

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Israel from the hands of those who plundered

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them. The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Yeshvi,

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and Melchishua. And the names of his two daughters

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were these. the name of the firstborn Merab,

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and the name of the younger Michal. The name

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of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimez,

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and the name of the commander of his army was

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Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. Kish was

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the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner,

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was the son of Abiel. Now there was fierce war

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with the Philistines all the days of Saul, and

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when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man,

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he took him for himself. I hope you enjoyed today's

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reading as much as I did and I look forward to

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seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our

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journey. God bless you and have a great day.