Saul Takes His Life^(A)

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.^{(B) 2} The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons,^(C) and they killed his sons Jonathan,^(D) Abinadab and Malki-Shua.^{(E) 3} The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded^(F) him critically.

⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through,^(G) or these uncircumcised^(H) fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died^(I) together that same day.

⁷ When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines^(J) came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news^(K) in the temple of their idols and among their people.^{(L) 10} They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths^(M) and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.^(N)

¹¹ When the people of Jabesh Gilead^(O) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their valiant men^(P) marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned^(Q) them. ¹³ Then they took their bones^(R) and buried them under a tamarisk^(S) tree at Jabesh, and they fasted^(T) seven days.^(U)

David Hears of Saul’s Death^(A)

1 After the death^(B) of Saul, David returned from striking down^(C) the Amalekites^(D) and stayed in Ziklag two days. ² On the third day a man^(E) arrived from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head.^(F) When he came to David, he fell^(G) to the ground to pay him honor.^(H)

³ “Where have you come from?” David asked him.

He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”

⁴ “What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.”

“The men fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

⁵ Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶ “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,^(I)” the young man said, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit. ⁷ When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, ‘What can I do?’

⁸ “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’

“‘An Amalekite,^(J)’ I answered.

⁹ “Then he said to me, ‘Stand here by me and kill me!^(K) I’m in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.’

¹⁰ “So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown^(L) that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore^(M) them. ¹² They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ David said to the young man who brought him the report, “Where are you from?”

“I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite,^(N)” he answered.

¹⁴ David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?^(O)”

¹⁵ Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!”^(P) So he struck him down, and he died.^{(Q) 16} For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head.^(R) Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ David took up this lament^(S) concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,^{(T) 18} and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):^(U)

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah^(A)(B)

¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying^(C) in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;^(D) others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”^(E)

²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”^(F)

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.^{(G) 22} And he said, “The Son of Man^(H) must suffer many things^(I) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(J) and he must be killed^(K) and on the third day^(L) be raised to life.”^(M)

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.^{(N) 24} For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.^{(O) 25} What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them^(P) when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.^(Q)

²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration^(R)

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James^(S) with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.^{(T) 29} As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure,^[a](U) which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy,^(V) but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master,^(W) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen;^(X) listen to him.”^{(Y) 36} When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.^(Z)

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy^(AA)

³⁷ The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸ A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

⁴¹ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,”^(AB) Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

⁴² Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”^{(AC) 45} But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it,^(AD) and they were afraid to ask him about it.

⁴⁶ An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.^{(AE) 47} Jesus, knowing their thoughts,^(AF) took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.^(AG) For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”^(AH)

⁴⁹ “Master,”^(AI) said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”^(AJ)