1 Samuel 31
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.
Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
3 The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me!” But his armor bearer would not, for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.
Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword, and died with him.
When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
6 So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men that same day together.
So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
7 When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.
When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
8 On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to the house of their idols and to the people.
They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among their people.
10 They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all the valiant men arose, went 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 burned them there.
all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.
13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
