XXXI. Now athe Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down * slain in mount bGilboa. 2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew cJonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. 3 And dthe battle went sore against Saul, and the * archers * hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. 4 eThen said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest fthese uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and * abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; gfor he was sore afraid: therefore Saul took a sword, and hfell upon it. 5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. 6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all ihis men, that same day together.

7 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of jthe valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 9 And kthey cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to lpublish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. 10 And they put mhis armour in the house of nAshtaroth: and othey fastened his body to the wall of pBeth-shan. 11 And when the inhabitants of qJabesh-gilead heard * of that which the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 rall the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and sburnt them there. 13 And they took their bones, and tburied them under ua tree at Jabesh, and xfasted yseven days.