28. Then one of the soldiers told Jonathan, “Your father made an oath for all the soldiers. He said any man who eats today will be cursed! That’s why they are so weak.”
29. Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the land! See how much better I feel after just tasting a little of this honey!
30. It would have been much better for the men to eat the food they took from their enemies today. We could have killed many more Philistines!”
31. That day the Israelites defeated the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon. After that, they were very tired.
32. They had taken sheep, cattle, and calves from the Philistines. Now they were so hungry they killed the animals on the ground and ate them, without draining the blood from them!
33. Someone said to Saul, “Look! The men are sinning against the Lord. They’re eating meat without draining the blood from it!”Saul said, “You have sinned! Roll a large stone over here now!”
34. Then he said, “Go to the men and tell them that each person must bring his ox and sheep to me and kill it here and eat it. Don’t sin against the Lord by eating meat without draining the blood from it.”That night everyone brought his animals and killed them there.
35. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar he had built to the Lord.
36. Saul said, “Let’s go after the Philistines tonight and rob them. We won’t let any of them live!”The men answered, “Do whatever you think is best.”But the priest said, “Let’s ask God.”
37. So Saul asked God, “Should I chase the Philistines? Will you let us defeat them?” But God did not answer Saul at that time.
38. Then Saul said to all the leaders of his army, “Come here. Let’s find out what sin has been done today.