1 Samuel
Chapter Thirty-One
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, the sons of Saul.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he
was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
4 Then said Saul to his armorbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith,
lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armorbearer
would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon
it.
5 And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his
sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, 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 beyond the 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 armor, and sent into the land
of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their
idols, and to the people.
10 And they put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his
body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11 And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him 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 Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh,
and burnt them there.
13 And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh,
and fasted seven days.
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