30. How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?’
31. That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted.
32. They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.
33. Then someone said to Saul, ‘Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood in it.’‘You have broken faith,’ he said. ‘Roll a large stone over here at once.’
34. Then he said, ‘Go out among the men and tell them, “Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.” ’So everyone 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 done this.
36. Saul said, ‘Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive.’‘Do whatever seems best to you,’ they replied.But the priest said, ‘Let us enquire of God here.’
37. So Saul asked God, ‘Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?’ But God did not answer him that day.
38. Saul therefore said, ‘Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today.
39. As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.’ But not one of them said a word.
40. Saul then said to all the Israelites, ‘You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here.’‘Do what seems best to you,’ they replied.