Chapter 10

Saul’s Death and Burial. ¹ Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and Israel fled from the Philistines. Many fell and were killed at Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³ The fighting around Saul became fierce when the archers hit him. The archers wounded him. ⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Take out your sword and run me through lest these uncircumcised men come and mock me.” But he was terrified, so Saul took out a sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he, too, fell on his sword and died. ⁶ Saul and his three sons died, and his whole household died with him.

⁷ When all the Israelites in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day the Philistines came up to strip the dead, and they found Saul and his sons who had fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They stripped him, taking his head and his armor. They sent word throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines proclaiming the news among their idols and their people. ¹⁰ They placed his armor in the shrine of their gods, hanging his head in the shrine of Dagon.^[a]

¹¹ When all the people in Jabesh-gilead heard about everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all of their brave men rose up and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons. They brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the oak tree in Jabesh. They then fasted for seven days.

^13 [b]Saul died because of the transgressions that he had committed against the Lord, against the word of the Lord which he did not observe, for he even consulted with a medium to make inquiry. ¹⁴ He did not inquire from the Lord. He slew him and turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse.