1 Samuel 31

CHAPTER 31

The Death of Saul and His Sons

^1aNow the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain ^bon Mount Gilboa.

²And the Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons; and the Philistines struck down ^aJonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

^3aAnd the battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers ¹hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.

^4aThen Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, lest ^bthese uncircumcised come and pierce me through and abuse me.” But his armor bearer was not willing, for he was greatly afraid. ^cSo Saul took his sword and fell on it.

⁵Then his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, so he also fell on his sword and died with him.

⁶Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.

⁷Then the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead. So they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸Now it happened on the ¹next day, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

⁹Then they cut off his head and stripped off his weapons and sent them all around the land of the Philistines, ^ato proclaim the good news ^bto the house of their idols and to the people.

¹⁰And they placed his weapons in the ¹house of ^aAshtaroth and ^bfastened his body to the wall of ^cBeth-shan.

¹¹Then ^athe inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard ¹what the Philistines had done to Saul,

^12aso all the valiant men arose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and ^bburned them there.

¹³And they took their bones and ^aburied them under ^bthe tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and ^cfasted seven days.