Down Aijalon the early men of Ephraim and Benjamin raided the Philistines. Up Aijalon the Philistines swarmed to the very heart of Israel's territory at Michmash, disarmed the Israelites, and forced them to come down the vale to get their tools sharpened, so that the mouth of the vale was called the 'Valley of the Smiths,' even till after the Exile. Down Aijalon Saul and Jonathan beat the Philistines from Michmash." --_George Adam Smith_

David also fought in Aijalon, and in 66 A. D., a Roman army suffered a terrible defeat in the valley.

[End ill.u.s.tration]

{365}

Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man who bore his armor, "Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on yonder side."

But he told not his father. And Saul abode in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. And between the pa.s.ses, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side. The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, "Come and let us go over unto the garrison of the Philistines: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no reason why the Lord cannot save by many or by few."

And his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee, behold I am with thee according to thy wish." Then said Jonathan, "Behold, we will pa.s.s over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus unto us, 'Tarry until we come to you'; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them. But if they say thus, 'Come up to us'; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign to us."

And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, "Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid {366} themselves." And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you something."

And Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Come up after me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel."

And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armorbearer slew them after him. And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within an acre of land. And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the mult.i.tude melted away, and they went hither and thither.

Then said Saul to the people that were with him, "Number now, and see who is gone from us."

And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. And Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring hither the ark of G.o.d."

For the ark of G.o.d was there at that time with the children of Israel.

And it came to pa.s.s, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw thine hand."

And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great rout. Now the Hebrews that were with the {367} Philistines as beforetime, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about; even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.

So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle pa.s.sed over by Beth-aven. And the men of Israel were distressed that day: but Saul commanded the people, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies." So none of the people tasted food. And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground. And when the people were come unto the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man ate any; for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and ate it; and he was strengthened. Then said one of the people, "Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth food this day."

And the people were faint. Then said Jonathan, "My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how I have been strengthened, because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for now hath there been no great slaughter among the Philistines."

{368}

And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people sin against the Lord, in that they eat with the blood." And he said, "Ye have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone to me this day."

And Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, 'Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the Lord in eating with the blood.'"

And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. And Saul built an altar unto the Lord: the same was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

And Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and fight them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them."

And they said, "Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee." Then said the priest, "Let us draw near hither to G.o.d."

And Saul asked counsel of G.o.d, "Shall I go down after the Philistines?

wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel?"

But he answered him not that day. And Saul said, "Draw nigh hither, all ye chiefs of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. For as the Lord liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan {369} my son, he shall surely die." But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.

Then said he unto all Israel, "Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side."

And the people said to Saul, "Do what seemeth good to thee."

Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, "Show the right."

And Jonathan and Saul were chosen by lot: but the people escaped.

And Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was chosen.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what thou hast done."

And Jonathan told him, and said, "I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand; and, lo, I must die."

And Saul said, "G.o.d do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan."

And the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? G.o.d forbid: as the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with G.o.d this day."

So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.

Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place.

Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, {370} and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he went he defeated them.

THE DISOBEDIENCE OF SAUL.

"_To Obey Is Better than Sacrifice._"

And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 'I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and a.s.s.'"

And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the Kenites, "Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt."

So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites, and Saul smote the Amalekites and defeated them. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was useless and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. .

{371}

[Ill.u.s.tration]

RUINS OF A ROMAN BRIDGE AT BETH-SHAN, OVER WHICH THE ROAD TO GADARA Pa.s.sED

Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.

After the battle of Gilboa the bodies of Saul and his sons were found on the field by the Philistines and carried to the town of Beth-shan and fastened to the wall. But the men of Jabesh-Gilead heard of this indignity to the dead, and making a night march removed the bodies.

[End ill.u.s.tration]

{373}

Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments."

And Samuel was wroth; and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument, and is gone about, and pa.s.sed on, and gone down to Gilgal." And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord."