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.

2.  And the Philistines followed hard * upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew * Jonathan, and Abinadab,and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

3.  And the battle went sore * against Saul, and the archers * hit * him; and he was sore wounded * of the archers * .

4.  Then said * Saul unto his armourbearer * , Draw * thy sword,and thrust me through * therewith; lest these uncircumcised come * and thrust me through * , and abuse * me. But his armourbearer * would * not; for he was sore afraid * . Therefore Saul took * a sword, and fell * 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 his men, that same day together.

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 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 they cut off * his head, and stripped off * his armour, and sent * into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish * it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

10.  And they put * his armour in the house of Ashtaroth * : and they fastened * his body to the wall of Bethshan.

11.  And when the inhabitants * of Jabeshgilead heard * of that which 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.

13.  And they took * their bones, and buried * them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted * seven days.