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he turned them to flight; and invading their country and having taken very much plunder, he returned gloriously. 1.85 Therefore, he was no longer dishonored by some, but was renowned for his courage and was honored even by those who had formerly mocked him. And Samuel, having again gathered the people, twice proclaimed Saul king, anointing him again with oil. Therefore the government of the Hebrews changed from an aristocracy to a kingdom; for under Moses and Joshua they were governed as an aristocracy, then for eighteen years they continued without a ruler, and afterwards they were ruled by those called judges, entrusting the best man to judge and manage all affairs. But when Samuel adjured the people to say if he had done any injustice to them, all cried out that he had presided over the nation justly and well. And he answered them, "Know that you have sinned greatly by asking for a king for yourselves, and by this you have angered God. And this will be a sign to you, that in the height of summer, a storm will come." And according to the word of the prophet, there were thunders and lightnings, and hail came down, so that fear fell upon the people and they begged Samuel to make God propitious to them for their sin. And when the Philistines were overpowering the Hebrews and taking away their weapons and forbidding them to use iron, Saul, going down to Gilgal, stirred up the people to rise up for freedom against the Philistines. But they were afraid on account of the multitude of the enemy. And the king called Samuel to him. And he promised to arrive after six days, and to sacrifice on the seventh, so that they might then engage with the foreigners. But Saul, 1.86 seeing the people slipping away and abandoning him, sacrificed. And hearing that Samuel was already approaching, he went out to meet him. And he said, "What is this you have done, transgressing my command? Know, therefore, that your kingdom will not stand, but the Lord will seek a man after his own heart." And Samuel departed, and Saul and Jonathan his son came to Gibeah with six hundred soldiers. And the foreigners, divided into three companies, were plundering the country of the Israelites. But Saul and Jonathan and Ahiah the high priest, seeing what was happening from a high place, and not being strong enough to defend on account of their few men, were distressed. But Jonathan, saying nothing to his father, went down from the hill with only his armor-bearer and said, "Let us attack the camp of the foreigners, and if they say to us, 'Stand still,' we will not go up to them, but if they say, 'Come up to us,' we must consider the word a sign of victory for us." And they rushed upon the enemy's camp. And the foreigners said to them, "Come up to us, and we will show you a thing." This put courage into Jonathan; and departing from there, climbing up from another side with his follower, he fell upon the sleeping enemy. And they killed about twenty, and struck cowardice into the rest; and being thrown into confusion and fleeing, they were destroyed by one another. And Saul, seeing the enemy's camp in confusion, and noticing that his son was absent along with his armor-bearer, he himself also attacked the disordered enemy; and those who had previously hidden out of fear, taking courage, joined the king. And pursuing the enemy, he killed them. Therefore he laid a curse on his own men, 1.87 if anyone, refraining from killing the enemy, should eat, unless night should stop them. And in the pursuit they came to a certain wood, in which there was a honeycomb, and Jonathan, taking a piece of the honeycomb, ate it; for he had not heard his father's curse. And when Saul wished to attack the enemy's camp, he asked God through the high priest if He would give victory. But when God did not make it known, he sought the reason, and he said, "I swear by God himself to kill the one who has sinned, even if it be Jonathan my son." And when they cast lots, the lot fell upon Jonathan. And he, being questioned about his sin, said he was conscious of nothing, except that yesterday, being ignorant of the curse, during the pursuit I tasted a piece of the honeycomb. And when his father heard, he swore to kill him. And the people swore in turn not to permit it

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φυγὴν ἐτρέψατο· καὶ εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν ἐμβαλὼν καὶ πλείστην λείαν λαβὼν λαμπρῶς ἐπανέζευξεν. οὐκέτι 1.85 γοῦν ἠδόξει παρά τισιν, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ διαβεβόητο καὶ τετίμητο καὶ τοῖς πρῴην αὐτὸν χλευάζουσι. συναγαγὼν δὲ αυθις ὁ Σαμουὴλ τὸν λαὸν δὶς ἀναγορεύει τὸν Σαοὺλ βασιλέα, χρίσας τῷ ἐλαίῳ καὶ πάλιν αὐτόν. μετέπεσεν ουν ἡ τῶν ̔Εβραίων πολιτεία εἰς βασιλείαν ἐξ ἀριστοκρατίας· ἐπὶ γὰρ Μωυσέως καὶ ̓Ιησοῦ ἀριστοκρατούμενοι ησαν, ειτα ἐπ' ετη δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ αναρχοι διετέλεσαν, εἰσέπειτα δ' ηρχθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν καλουμένων κριτῶν, τῷ ἀρίστῳ περὶ τῶν ολων δικάζειν καὶ οἰκονομεῖν ἐπιτρέποντες. Τοῦ δὲ Σαμουὴλ ἐξορκίζοντος τὸν λαὸν εἰπεῖν ει τι αδικον εἰργάσατο εἰς αὐτούς, πάντες δικαίως αὐτὸν καὶ καλῶς προστῆναι τοῦ εθνους ἐβόησαν. ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀπεκρίνατο "ιστε ὡς μεγάλως ἡμαρτήκατε βασιλέα ἑαυτοῖς αἰτησάμενοι, κἀκ τούτου παρωργίσατε τὸν θεόν. εσται δὲ τοῦτο σημεῖον ὑμῖν τὸ θέρους ἐν ἀκμῇ χειμῶνα γενήσεσθαι." καὶ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ προφήτου λόγον βρονταὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ γεγόνασι, κατηνέχθη τε χάλαζα, ὡς δέος ἐμπεσεῖν τῷ λαῷ καὶ ἱκετεύειν τὸν Σαμουὴλ ἱλεώσασθαι τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῖς ἁμαρτήσασι. Τῶν δὲ Παλαιστηνῶν τοὺς ̔Εβραίους καταστρεφόντων καὶ τὰ οπλα σφῶν ἀφαιρουμένων σιδήρῳ τε κεχρῆσθαι ἀπαγορευόντων, ὁ Σαοὺλ εἰς Γάλγαλα καταβὰς ἐπ' ἐλευθερίᾳ τὸν λαὸν κατὰ τῶν Παλαιστηνῶν διαναστῆναι ἠρέθιζεν. οἱ δ' ηὐλαβοῦντο διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐναντίων. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν Σαμουὴλ ἐκάλει πρὸς ἑαυτόν. καὶ ος μεθ' ἡμέρας εξ παραγενέσθαι ὑπέσχετο, θύσειν τε τῇ ἑβδόμῃ, ιν' ουτω τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις συμμίξωσιν. ὁ δέ γε Σαοὺλ 1.86 ὁρῶν τὸν λαὸν ὑπορρέοντα καὶ καταλιμπάνοντα αὐτόν, εθυσεν. ἀκούσας δὲ ηδη προσιόντα τὸν Σαμουήλ, ἐξῆλθε συναντήσων αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ "τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας" εφη "παραβάς μου τὴν ἐντολήν; ισθι τοίνυν ὡς οὐ στήσεταί σου ἡ βασιλεία, ἀλλὰ ζητήσει κύριος ανθρωπον κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ." καὶ ἀνεχώρησε Σαμουήλ, Σαοὺλ δὲ καὶ ̓Ιωνάθαν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ηκεν εἰς Γαβαὼ σὺν στρατιώταις ἑξακοσίοις. εἰς τρία δὲ διαιρεθέντες οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι τὴν χώραν τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν ἐληίζοντο. Σαοὺλ δὲ καὶ ̓Ιωνάθαν καὶ ̓Αχιὰ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ἀφ' υψους ὁρῶντες τὰ δρώμενα, καὶ ἀμῦναι δι' ὀλιγανδρίαν μὴ σθένοντες, ηχθοντο. ὁ δ' ̓Ιωνάθαν μηδὲν εἰπὼν τῷ πατρὶ καταβὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ βουνοῦ σὺν μόνῳ τῷ ὁπλοφόρῳ αὐτοῦ "προσβάλλωμεν" εφη "τῇ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων παρεμβολῇ, καὶ εἰ μὲν ειπωσιν ἡμῖν ἀπόστητε, οὐκ ἀναβησόμεθα πρὸς αὐτούς, εἰ δ' ἀνάβητε πρὸς ἡμᾶς φήσουσι, σύνθημα νίκης τὸν λόγον νομιστέον ἡμῖν." καὶ ωρμησαν ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον. καὶ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι "ἀνάβητε" ελεγον "πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ γνωριοῦμεν ὑμῖν ῥῆμα." τοῦτο θάρσος ἐνῆκε τῷ ̓Ιωνάθαν· καὶ ἀποστὰς ἐκεῖθεν, ἑτέρωθεν ἀνερπύσας μετὰ τοῦ ἑπομένου αὐτῷ επεισι τοῖς πολεμίοις ὑπνώττουσι. καὶ κτείνουσι μὲν ὡς εικοσι, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς δειλίαν ἐνέβαλον· οι θορυβούμενοί τε καὶ φεύγοντες ὑπ' ἀλλήλων διώλλυντο. ἰδὼν δὲ ταραττόμενον ὁ Σαοὺλ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον, καὶ ἀπόντα τὸν υἱὸν αμα τῷ ὁπλοφόρῳ κατανοήσας, προσβάλλει καὶ αὐτὸς τεταραγμένοις τοῖς ἐναντίοις· καὶ οἱ πρὶν δὲ διὰ φόβον κρυβέντες ἀναθαρσήσαντες τῷ βασιλεῖ προσετίθεντο. καὶ διώκων τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκτίννυεν. ἐπαρᾶται τοίνυν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ, ει τις ἀποσχόμενος τοῦ 1.87 φονεύειν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς φάγοι, εἰ μὴ νὺξ αὐτοὺς παύσοι. ἐν δὲ τῷ διώκειν κατά τινα δρυμὸν ηλθον, ἐν ῳ μελισσὼν ην, καὶ λαβὼν ὁ ̓Ιωνάθαν κηρίον μέλιτος εφαγεν· οὐ γὰρ ην ἀκηκοὼς τῆς ἀρᾶς τοῦ πατρός. ἐπελθεῖν δὲ βουληθεὶς ὁ Σαοὺλ τῇ τῶν ἐναντίων παρεμβολῇ, ἠρώτα διὰ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τὸν θεὸν εἰ δίδωσι νίκην. τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ μὴ δηλοῦντος, ἐζήτει τὸ αιτιον, καί "ομνυμι" εφη "αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν ἀποκτείνειν τὸν ἁμαρτόντα, καν ̓Ιωνάθαν ειη ὁ παῖς ὁ ἐμός." καὶ κληρωσαμένων ἐπὶ ̓Ιωνάθαν ὁ κλῆρος επεσεν. ὁ δὲ περὶ ἁμαρτίας ἀνακρινόμενος οὐδὲν ειπεν ἑαυτῷ συνειδέναι η οτι χθὲς τὴν ἀρὰν ἀγνοήσας ἐν τῷ διώκειν ἐγευσάμην κηρίου. ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ πατὴρ ἀποκτενεῖν αὐτὸν ωμοσε. καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἀντώμοσε μὴ περιόψεσθαι