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10 And the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on mount Gilboa.

And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines smote Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons.

And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers came up with him, and he was terrified by the archers.

Then said Saul to his armour-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through with it; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armour-bearer would not; for he was much afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.

And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.

So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.

And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

And it came to pass the next day, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his sons fallen on mount Gilboa.

And they stripped him, and took his head, and his armour, and sent [them] into the land of the Philistines round about, to announce the glad tidings to their idols, and to the people.

10 And they put his armour in the house of their god, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.

11 And when all they of Jabesh-Gilead heard of all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

12 all the valiant men arose, and took up the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the terebinth of Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

13 And Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against Jehovah, because of the word of Jehovah which he kept not, and also for having inquired of the spirit of Python, asking counsel of it;

14 and he asked not counsel of Jehovah; therefore he slew him, and transferred the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

Saul Takes His Life(A)

10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.

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

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.

When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.(B)

11 When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead(C) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

13 Saul died(D) because he was unfaithful(E) to the Lord; he did not keep(F) the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium(G) for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned(H) the kingdom(I) over to David son of Jesse.

The Death of Saul

10 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and fell mortally wounded at Mount Gilboa. The Philistines were closing in on Saul and his sons. They struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua, the sons of Saul. The attack directed at Saul was fierce. The archers targeted him and hit him, and he was in great pain from his wounds.

Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through so that these uncircumcised fellows do not come and abuse me.”

His armor bearer would not do it because he was too afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. So Saul died, and his three sons, his entire house, died together.

When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that their army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in them.

On the next day when the Philistines came to strip those who had been killed in the battle, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They stripped Saul, carried off his head and his armor, and sent them throughout Philistia to spread the good news to their idols and people. 10 They put Saul’s armor and weapons in the temple of their gods and impaled his skull in the temple of Dagon.

11 The entire city of Jabesh Gilead heard about everything that the Philistines had done to Saul. 12 So all the courageous, strong men set out and carried away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons. They brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the terebinth[a] tree in Jabesh. Then they fasted for seven days.

13 Saul died as a result of the unfaithfulness which he had commited against the Lord by not keeping the Lord’s command and by seeking a medium to direct his actions. 14 He did not seek guidance from the Lord. That is why the Lord brought about his death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 10:12 In 1 Samuel 31:13 it reads tamarisk.