The Death of Saul

31 ^(A)Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain ^(B)on Mount Gilboa.

¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, ^(A)and Israel was defeated, ^(B)and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

³⁹ the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, ^(A)“Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ^(A)‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them.” ³⁹ And Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. ⁴⁰ And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him. And many fell wounded, up to the entrance of the gate.

²⁸ And Gaal the son of Ebed said, ^(A)“Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of ^(B)Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?

¹⁶ The people of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have ^(A)chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in ^(B)the Valley of Jezreel.” ¹⁷ Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, ¹⁸ but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, ^(C)though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”

⁴¹ “Then you answered me, ^(A)‘We have sinned against the Lord. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. ⁴² And the Lord said to me, ^(B)‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, ^(C)for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ ⁴³ So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the Lord and ^(D)presumptuously went up into the hill country. ^44 (E)Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you ^(F)as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as ^(G)Hormah.