1 Samuel

1 Samuel 31 ©

1 The battle at Gilboa; wherein Saul's army being defeated, and his sons slain, he and his armourbearer kill themselves. 7 The Philistines take possession of the towns deserted by the Israelites. 8 They insult over the dead bodies of Saul and his sons. 11 The men of Jabesh-gilead recover the bodies by night, burn them, and bury their bones at Jabesh.

1

NOW the aPhilistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down 1slain in mount bGilboa.

2

And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew cJonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons.

3

And the dbattle went *sore against Saul, and the 2archers 3hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

4

Then esaid Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest fthese uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and 4abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was *sore afraid. Therefore Saul gtook a sword, and hfell 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 idied, 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, jthey forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8

And kit 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 lthey 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 mAshtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

11

¶And when the inhabitants of nJabesh-gilead heard 5of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;

12

oAll the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and pburnt them there.

13

And they took qtheir bones, and buried them under ra tree at Jabesh, and sfasted tseven days.