1 Samuel 31
31
The Death of Saul
1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. The men of Israel fled from the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines stayed right on the heels#tn Heb “stuck close after.” of Saul and his sons. They#tn Heb “the Philistines.” struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. 3 Saul himself was in the thick of the battle;#tn Heb “and the battle was heavy against Saul.” the archers#tn Heb “the shooters, men with the bow.” spotted him and wounded him severely.
4 Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it! Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come, stab me, and torture me.” But his armor bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together that day.
7 When the men of Israel who were in the valley and across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they discovered Saul and his three sons lying dead#tn Heb “fallen.” on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off Saul’s#tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse). head and stripped him of his armor. They sent messengers to announce the news in the temple of their idols and among their people throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines. 10 They placed Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths#sn The Semitic goddess Astarte was associated with love and war in the ancient Near East. See the note on the same term in 7:3. and hung his corpse on the city wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their warriors set out and traveled throughout the night. They took Saul’s corpse and the corpses of his sons from the city wall of Beth Shan and went#tc The translation follows the MT, which vocalizes the verb as a Qal. The LXX, however, treats the verb as a Hiphil, “they brought.” to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13 They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh; then they fasted for seven days.
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1 Samuel 31
31
1Now the Philistims fought against Israel, and the me of Israel fled away from ye Philistims, and they fell downe wounded in mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistims preassed sore vpon Saul and his sonnes, and slewe Ionathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua Sauls sonnes. 3And when the battel went sore against Saul, the archers and bowmen hit him, and hee was sore wounded of the archers. 4Then saide Saul vnto his armour bearer, Drawe out thy sworde, and thrust mee through therewith, lest the vncircumcised come and thrust me through and mocke me: but his armour bearer would not, for hee was sore afraid. Therefore Saul tooke a sworde and fell vpon it. 5And when his armour bearer sawe that Saul was dead, he fell likewise vpon his sword, and dyed with him. 6So Saul dyed, and his three sonnes, and his armour bearer, and all his men that same day together. 7And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they of the other side Iorden saw that the men of Israel were put to flight, and that Saul and his sonnes were dead, then they left the cities, and ran away: and the Philistims came and dwelt in them. 8And on the morowe when the Philistims were come to spoyle them that were slaine, they founde Saul and his three sonnes lying in mount Gilboa, 9And they cut off his head, and stripped him out of his armour, and sent into the land of ye Philistims on euery side, that they should publish it in the temple of their idoles, and among the people. 10And they layed vp his armour in the house of Ashtaroth, but they hanged vp his body on the wall of Beth-shan. 11When the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead heard, what the Philistims had done to Saul, 12Then they arose (as many as were strong men) and went all night, and tooke the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sonnes, from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Iabesh, and burnt them there, 13And tooke their bones and buried them vnder a tree at Iabesh, and fasted seuen dayes.
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