1 Samuel 14:16-20

14:16 Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin ¹  looked on ²  as the crowd of soldiers seemed to melt away first in one direction and then in another. ³  14:17 So Saul said to the army that was with him, “Muster the troops and see who is no longer with us.” When they mustered the troops, ⁴  Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there. 14:18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ephod,” ⁵  for he was at that time wearing the ephod. ⁶  14:19 While ⁷  Saul spoke to the priest, the panic in the Philistines’ camp was becoming greater and greater. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand!”

14:20 Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle, where they found ⁸  the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords. ⁹ 

[14:16]  ¹ tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:16]  ² tn Heb “saw, and look!”

[14:16]  ³ tn Heb “the crowd melted and went, even here.”

[14:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they mustered the troops, and look!”

[14:18]  ⁵ tc Heb “the ark of God.” It seems unlikely that Saul would call for the ark, which was several miles away in Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Sam 7:2). The LXX and an Old Latin ms have “ephod” here, a reading which harmonizes better with v. 3 and fits better with the verb “bring near” (see 1 Sam 23:9; 30:7) and with the expression “withdraw your hand” in v.19. This reading is followed in the present translation (cf. NAB, TEV, NLT).

[14:18]  ⁶ tc Heb “for the ark of God was in that day, and the sons of Israel.” The translation follows the text of some Greek manuscripts. See the previous note.

[14:19]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps “until.”

[14:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “and look, there was”

[14:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “the sword of a man against his companion, a very great panic.”