¹⁵ Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed^(A) from me. He no longer answers^(B) me, either by prophets or by dreams.^(C) So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn^(D) the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey^(E) the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath^(F) against the Amalekites,^(G) the Lord has done this to you today. ¹⁹ The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons^(H) will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

³ When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.^{(A) 4} So David and his men wept^(B) aloud until they had no strength left to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives^(C) had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning^(D) him; each one was bitter^(E) in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength^(F) in the Lord his God.

⁷ Then David said to Abiathar^(G) the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.^(H)” Abiathar brought it to him, ⁸ and David inquired^(I) of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”

“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed^(J) in the rescue.^(K)”

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.