28 One of the soldiers told Jonathan, “Your father forced the soldiers to make a special promise. Your father said that any man who eats today will be punished! {So the men have not eaten anything.} That is why the men are weak.”
28 Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint.
28 Then one of the men told him, Your father strictly charged the men with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food today. And the people were exhausted and faint.
28 Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth food this day. And the people were faint.
28 Then one of the soldiers spoke up: “Your father bound the troops by a solemn pledge: ‘Anyone who eats food today is doomed.’ That’s why the troops are exhausted.”
28 And in response, one of the people said, "Your father has bound the people by an oath, saying: 'Cursed be the man who will eat any bread this day.' " (For the people were faint.)
28 And one of the people answering said: Thy father hath bound the people with an oath, saying: Cursed be the man that shall eat any food this day. (And the people were faint.)
But Saul made a big mistake that day. [132] The Israelites were tired and hungry. This was because Saul forced the people to make this promise: Saul said, “If any man eats food before evening comes and before I finish defeating my enemies, then that man will be punished!” So none of the Israelite soldiers ate any food.
But Jonathan didn’t know about that promise. Jonathan didn’t hear his father force the people to make that promise. Jonathan had a stick in his hand. He dipped the end of the stick into the honeycomb and pulled out some honey. He ate the honey and began to feel much better.