1 Samuel 31
New English Translation
The Death of Saul
31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. The men of Israel fled from the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines stayed right on the heels[a] of Saul and his sons. They[b] struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. 3 Saul himself was in the thick of the battle;[c] the archers[d] spotted him and wounded him severely.
4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it! Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come, stab me, and torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that day.
7 When the men of Israel who were in the valley and across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they discovered Saul and his three sons lying dead[e] on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off Saul’s[f] head and stripped him of his armor. They sent messengers to announce the news in the temple of their idols and among their people throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines. 10 They placed Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths[g] and hung his corpse on the city wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their warriors set out and traveled throughout the night. They took Saul’s corpse and the corpses of his sons from the city wall of Beth Shan and went[h] to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13 They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh; then they fasted for seven days.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 31:2 tn Heb “stuck close after.”
- 1 Samuel 31:2 tn Heb “the Philistines.”
- 1 Samuel 31:3 tn Heb “and the battle was heavy against Saul.”
- 1 Samuel 31:3 tn Heb “the shooters, men with the bow.”
- 1 Samuel 31:8 tn Heb “fallen.”
- 1 Samuel 31:9 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).
- 1 Samuel 31:10 sn The Semitic goddess Astarte was associated with love and war in the ancient Near East. See the note on the same term in 7:3.
- 1 Samuel 31:12 tc The translation follows the MT, which vocalizes the verb as a Qal. The LXX, however, treats the verb as a Hiphil, “they brought.”
1 Samuel 31
Expanded Bible
The Death of Saul(A)
31 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the ·Israelites [L men of Israel] ·ran away from [fled before] them. Many Israelites ·were killed [L fell slain] on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines ·fought hard against [overtook; closed in/bore down on] Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting was ·heavy [fierce] around Saul. The archers ·shot [L found] him, and he was ·badly [severely; critically] wounded. 4 He said to ·the officer who carried his armor [his armor bearer], “·Pull out [Draw] your sword and ·kill me [run me through]. Then those ·uncircumcised men [pagans] won’t ·make fun of [taunt; abuse] me and ·kill me [run me through].” But Saul’s ·officer [armor bearer] refused, because he was ·afraid [terrified]. So Saul took his own sword and ·threw himself [L fell] on it. 5 When ·the officer [his armor bearer] saw that Saul was dead, he ·threw himself [L fell] on his own sword, and he died with Saul. 6 So Saul, his three sons, ·and the officer who carried his armor [his armor bearer] and all his men died together that day.
7 When the Israelites who lived across the Jezreel Valley and those who lived across the Jordan River saw how the Israelite army had ·run away [fled], and that Saul and his sons were dead, they ·left [abandoned] their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines came and ·lived there [occupied them].
8 The next day when the Philistines came to ·take all the valuable things from the dead soldiers [L strip the dead/corpses], they found Saul and his three sons ·dead [fallen; lying] on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off Saul’s head and ·took [stripped] off his armor. Then they sent messengers through all the land of the Philistines to tell the [L good] news in the ·temple [L houses] of their idols and to their people. 10 They put Saul’s armor in the ·temple [L house] of the Ashtoreths [or Astarte; C a pagan deity] and ·hung [fastened] his body on the wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 the ·brave men [valiant/mighty warriors] of Jabesh ·marched [walked; traveled] all night and came to Beth Shan. They ·removed [took] the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and brought them to Jabesh. There they burned the bodies. 13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh fasted for seven days.
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