1 Samuel 31
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down dead on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, his sons.
3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers overtook him. He was in severe pain because of them.
4 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.
Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died with him.
6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
So Saul died, his three sons, and his armor bearer—these men all died together that same day.
7 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.
When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9 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.
They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers into the land of the Philistines throughout to carry the news to their idols' temples and to the people.
10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the city wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 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.
all the fighting men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They went to Jabesh and burned them there.
13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.
