Fluent Translation · Read & Reflect
1 Samuel 31
Saul and His Sons Fall on Mount Gilboa
The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and after his sons, and the Philistines struck Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-Shua, sons of Saul. The battle became heavy against Saul. The archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me with it, lest these uncircumcised come and pierce me and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was not willing, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell upon it. When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, together on that day.
Israel Abandons the Cities
When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and people who were beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in them.
The Philistines Display Saul’s Body
And it happened the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons and sent throughout the land of the Philistines all around to proclaim the news in the houses of their idols and among the people. They put his weapons in the house of the Ashtaroth and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-Shan.
The Men of Jabesh-Gilead Recover the Bodies
When the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead heard concerning him what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and walked all night. They took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-Shan, came to Jabesh, and burned them there. They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.