²⁰ Saul and his troops assembled and rushed into battle. They found the Philistines confused, fighting amongst themselves. ²² When the Israelite soldiers hiding in the hill country heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they pursued them in battle too. ²³ As such, the Eternal brought victory to Israel that day.

²⁴ The Israelite soldiers were distressed that day, because Saul had sworn an oath to the troops: “Cursed be the man who eats any food before night falls and I take revenge on my enemies.” So none of the troops ate anything.

²⁵ Everybody came to a stack of beehives where some honey had spilled on the ground. ²⁶ When the troops arrived at the beehives and found the honey, no one put his hand to his mouth, for they feared the oath Saul had made. ²⁷ Jonathan, Saul’s son, however, had not heard his father make the oath. So he stretched out his stick, dipped it into the beehive of honey, and brought his hand back to his mouth, and his eyes lit up. ²⁸At this, one of the soldiers spoke up, “Your father swore to the troops: ‘Cursed be the man who eats anything this day.’ That’s why the troops are faint.” ²⁹ Jonathan answered, “My father has brought trouble on the people. See for yourselves how my eyes lit up when I tasted that honey. ³⁰ If only the troops had eaten spoil captured from the enemy today, the defeat of the Philistines would have been even greater!”

³¹ That day, they beat the Philistines from Michmas to Ayalon and the troops were famished. ³² The troops pounced on the spoil. They took the sheep, cows, and calves and slaughtered them on the ground, and the troops ate the animals with the blood still in them. ³³When it was reported to Saul that the troops were sinning against the Eternal, eating the blood, he said, “You have acted faithlessly. Roll a large stone over me today!”

³⁴ Saul ordered, “Spread the message among the troops that everyone must bring me his ox or sheep and slaughter it, and then eat. You must not sin against the Eternal and eat meat with blood.” Every one of the troops brought his own ox with him that night and slaughtered it. ³⁵ This is how Saul set up an altar to the Eternal, the first altar he built.