THE FIRST BOOK OF THE
CHRONICLES

1 Chronicles 10 ©

The Philistines smite the army of the Israelites, v. 1, etc. Saul’s three sons are slain, 2. Saul desires his armor bearer to stab him; when he refuses to do it, Saul stabs himself, 4. His armor bearer stabs himself also, 5. Saul’s entire house is destroyed, 6. The Israelites leave their cities for fear of the Philistines, who take possession of them, 7. They find Saul and his sons lying dead on mount Gilboa, 8. They cut off his head, and send it with his armor round about throughout their land, 9. After that they put it in the house of their god, and fastened his skull in the house of Dagon, 10. Those of Jabesh in Gilead take down the bodies of Saul and of his sons, and bury their bones there, and fast seven days, 11. Why God suffered Saul to perish thus, 13.

1

NOW1 the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount 2Gilboa.

2

And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

3

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

4

Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and 4abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

5

And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.

6

So Saul died, and his three sons, and 5all his house died together.

7

And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their 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 sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

9

And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people.

10

Anda they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened 6his head in the temple of Dagon.

11

¶And when all 7Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

12

They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and 8buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and 9fasted 10seven days.

13

¶So Saul died 11for his transgression which he committed 12against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also forb asking counsel of one that had 13a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;

14

And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.