1 Samuel 31
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons.
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
4 Then said Saul to his armor bearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armor bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a 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 And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise 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, and his three sons, and 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 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the 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 dwelled 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 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.
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among 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 And they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
11 And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which 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, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt 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 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
