< 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 were fighting against Israel: and the men of Israel went in flight before the Philistines, falling down wounded in Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malkishua, the sons of Saul.
And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and they put to death Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
3 The battle was fierce against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers.
And the fight was going badly for Saul, and the archers came across him, and he was wounded by the archers.
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 torture me." But his armor bearer would not; for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell on it.
Then Saul said to the servant who had the care of his arms, Take out your sword and put it through me, before these men without circumcision come and make sport of me. But his servant, full of fear, would not do so. Then Saul took out his sword, and falling on it, put an end to himself.
5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword, and died with him.
And when his servant saw that Saul was dead, he did the same, and was united with him in death.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer, and all his men, that same day together.
So death overtook Saul and his three sons and his servant on the 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 their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.
And when the men of Israel across the valley and on the other side of Jordan saw that the army of Israel was in flight and that Saul and his sons were dead, they came out of their towns and went in flight; and the Philistines came and took them for themselves.
8 It happened on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
Now on the day after, when the Philistines came to take their goods from the dead, they saw Saul and his three sons dead on the earth in Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to their idols, and to the people.
And cutting off his head and taking away his war-dress, they sent word into the land of the Philistines round about, to take the news to their gods and to the people.
10 They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
His war-dress they put in the house of Astarte; and his body was fixed on the wall of Beth-shan.
11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
And when the people of Jabesh-gilead had news of what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan, and brought them to Jabesh and burnt them there.
All the fighting men got up and, travelling all night, took Saul's body and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh and had them burned there.
13 They took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
And their bones they put in the earth under a tree in Jabesh; and for seven days they took no food.