1 Samuel 14:18

14:18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ephod,” ¹  for he was at that time wearing the ephod. ² 

1 Samuel 14:36

14:36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout ³  them until the break of day. ⁴  We won’t leave any of them alive!” ⁵  They replied, “Do whatever seems best to you.” ⁶  But the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.”

¹ 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).

² 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.

³ tn Heb “plunder.”

⁴ tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”

⁵ tn Heb “and there will not be left among them a man.”

⁶ tn Heb “all that is good in your eyes.” So also in v. 40.