19. While Saul spoke to the priest, the panic in the Philistine camp increased in intensity. So Saul said to the priest, “Stop what you’re doing.”
20. Saul and all the troops with him assembled and marched to the battle, and there, the Philistines were fighting against each other in great confusion!
21. There were Hebrews from the area who had gone earlier into the camp to join the Philistines, but even they joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22. When all the Israelite men who had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined Saul and Jonathan in the battle.
23. So the Lord saved Israel that day. The battle extended beyond Beth-aven,
24. and the men of Israel were worn out that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath: “The man who eats food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies is cursed.” So none of the troops tasted any food.
25. Everyone went into the forest, and there was honey on the ground.
26. When the troops entered the forest, they saw the flow of honey, but none of them ate any of it because they feared the oath.
27. However, Jonathan had not heard his father make the troops swear the oath. He reached out with the end of the staff he was carrying and dipped it into the honeycomb. When he ate the honey, he had renewed energy.
28. Then, one of the troops said, “Your father made the troops solemnly swear, ‘The man who eats food today is cursed,’ and the troops are exhausted.”
29. Jonathan replied, “My father has brought trouble to the land. Just look at how I have renewed energy because I tasted a little honey.
30. How much better if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Then the slaughter of the Philistines would have been much greater.”