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.”
31. The Israelites struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash all the way to Aijalon. Since the Israelites were completely exhausted,
32. they rushed to the plunder, took sheep, cattle, and calves, slaughtered them on the ground, and ate meat with the blood still in it.
33. Some reported to Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with the blood still in it.” Saul said, “You have been unfaithful. Roll a large stone over here at once.”
34. He then said, “Go among the troops and say to them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep. Do the slaughtering here and then you can eat. Don’t sin against the Lord by eating meat with the blood in it.’ ” So every one of the troops brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.
35. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had built an altar to the Lord.