1 Samuel 31

New International Version

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) ²The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons,^(C) and they killed his sons Jonathan,^(D) Abinadab and Malki-Shua.^(E) ³The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded^(F) him critically.

⁴Saul 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. ⁵When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died^(I) together that same day.

⁷When 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.

⁸The next day, when the Philistines^(J) came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹They 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) ¹⁰They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths^(M) and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.^(N)

¹¹When the people of Jabesh Gilead^(O) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²all 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. ¹³Then they took their bones^(R) and buried them under a tamarisk^(S) tree at Jabesh, and they fasted^(T) seven days.^(U)

Ezekiel 9

New International Version

Judgment on the Idolaters

9 Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” ²And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen^(A) who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³Now the glory^(B) of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim,^(C) where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side ⁴and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem^(D) and put a mark^(E) on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament^(F) over all the detestable things that are done in it.^(G)”

⁵As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity^(H) or compassion.^(I) ⁶Slaughter^(J) the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children,^(K) but do not touch anyone who has the mark.^(L) Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men^(M) who were in front of the temple.^(N)

⁷Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.^(O) Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. ⁸While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown,^(P) crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord!^(Q) Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath^(R) on Jerusalem?^(S)”

⁹He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice.^(T) They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’^(U) ¹⁰So I will not look on them with pity^(V) or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.^(W)”