25. The troops came across a honeycomb with honey on the ground.
26. But even when they came across the honeycomb with the honey still flowing, no one ate any of it because the troops were afraid of the solemn pledge.
27. But Jonathan hadn’t heard his father make the people swear the pledge, so he dipped the end of the staff he was carrying into the honeycomb. When he ate some his eyes lit up.
28. Then one of the soldiers spoke up: "Your father bound the troops by a solemn pledge: ‘Anyone who eats food today is doomed.’ That’s why the troops are exhausted."
29. Jonathan said, "My father has brought trouble to the land. Look how my eyes lit up when I tasted just a bit of that honey!
30. It would have been even better if the troops had eaten some of their enemies’ plunder today when they found it! But now the Philistine defeat isn’t as thorough as it might have been."
31. That day, after they had fought the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the troops were completely exhausted.
32. So the troops tore into the plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them right on the ground and devoured them with the blood still in them.
33. When it was reported to Saul, "The troops are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with blood in it," Saul said, "All of you are traitors! Roll a large stone over here right now.
34. Go among the troops and say to them, ‘Everyone must bring their ox or sheep, and slaughter them here with me. Don’t sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.’" So everyone brought whatever they had and slaughtered it there.
35. And Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar he had built to the Lord.
36. "Let’s go after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until morning," Saul said. "We won’t leave them a single survivor!""Do whatever you think is best," the troops replied.But the priest said, "Let’s ask God first."