4. There was a cliff on each side of the mountain pass where Jonathan searched for a way to cross over to attack the Philistine military post. The name of one ⌊cliff⌋ was Bozez, and the name of the other was Seneh.
5. One cliff stood like a pillar on the north facing Michmash, the other stood south facing Geba.
6. Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Let’s go to the military post of these uncircumcised people. Maybe the Lord will act on our behalf. The Lord can win a victory with a few men as well as with many.”
7. His armorbearer answered him, “Do whatever you have in mind. Go ahead! I agree with you.”
8. Jonathan continued, “Listen, we’ll cross over to the Philistines and show ourselves to them.
9. If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are until we come to you,’ then we’ll stay where we are and not go up to them.
10. But if they say to us, ‘Come up here,’ then we’ll go up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has handed them over to us.”
11. So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine troops. The Philistines said, “Look, some Hebrews are coming out of the holes they were hiding in.”
12. “Come up here,” the men of the military post said to Jonathan and his armorbearer. “We have something to show you.”Jonathan told his armorbearer, “Follow me up ⌊to the military post⌋ because the Lord has handed the troops over to Israel.”
13. Jonathan climbed up ⌊the cliff⌋, and his armorbearer followed him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines. His armorbearer, who was behind him, finished killing them.
14. In their first slaughter Jonathan and his armorbearer killed about twenty men within about a hundred yards.
15. There was panic among the army in the field and all the troops in the military post. The raiding party also trembled ⌊in fear⌋. The earth shook, and there was a panic sent from God.
16. Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in Benjamin could see the crowd ⌊in the Philistine camp⌋ dispersing in all directions.
17. “Look around,” Saul told the troops who were with him, “and see who has left ⌊our camp⌋.” They looked and found that Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there.
18. Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the priestly ephod,” because Ahijah carried the ephod in front of Israel that day.
19. While Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew worse and worse. Then Saul said to the priest, “Remove your hand ⌊from the ephod⌋.”
20. Saul and all the troops with him assembled and went into battle. They found Philistine soldiers killing their fellow soldiers in wild confusion.