od suggested to me
concerning the present state of affairs, and hadst not acted more
hastily than the present circumstances required, thou wouldst have
been permitted to reign a long time, and thy posterity after thee." So
Samuel, being grieved at what happened, returned home; but Saul came to
the city Gibeah, with his son Jonathan, having only six hundred men
with him; and of these the greater part had no weapons, because of the
scarcity of iron in that country, as well as of those that could make
such weapons; for, as we showed a little before, the Philistines had
not suffered them to have such iron or such workmen. Now the Philistines
divided their army into three companies, and took as many roads, and
laid waste the country of the Hebrews, while king Saul and his son
Jonathan saw what was done, but were not able to defend the land, having
no more than six hundred men with them. But as he, and his son, and
Abiah the high priest, who was of the posterity of Eli the high priest,
were sitting upon a pretty high hill, and seeing the land laid waste,
they were mightily disturbed at it. Now Saul's son agreed with his
armor-bearer, that they would go privately to the enemy's camp, and make
a tumult and a disturbance among them. And when the armor-bearer had
readily promised to follow him whithersoever he should lead him, though
he should be obliged to die in the attempt, Jonathan made use of the
young man's assistance, and descended from the hill, and went to their
enemies. Now the enemy's camp was upon a precipice which had three tops,
that ended in a small but sharp and long extremity, while there was a
rock that surrounded them, like lines made to prevent the attacks of
an enemy. There it so happened, that the out-guards of the camp were
neglected, because of the security that here arose from the situation of
the place, and because they thought it altogether impossible, not only
to ascend up to the camp on that quarter, but so much as to come near
it. As soon, therefore, as they came to the camp, Jonathan encouraged
his armor-bearer, and said to him, "Let us attack our enemies; and if,
when they see us, they bid us come up to them, take that for a signal of
victory; but if they say nothing, as not intending to invite us to come
up, let us return back again." So when they were approaching to the
enemy's camp, just after break of day, and the Philistines saw them,
they said one to another, "The Hebrews come out of their dens