| Chapter
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
Melchishua, 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 armor, 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 armor 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. |
