1 Samuel 31

The Death of Saul and His Sons

1 # 1 Sam 28.4; 1 Chr 10.1–12 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell#31.1 Heb and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3#2 Sam 1.6The battle pressed hard on Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them. 4#Judg 9.54; 2 Sam 1.6, 10Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer was unwilling, for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. 6So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together on the same day. 7When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their towns and fled, and the Philistines came and occupied them.

8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9#2 Sam 1.20They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the houses of their idols and to the people. 10#Josh 17.11; Judg 2.13; 1 Sam 7.3; 2 Sam 21.12They put his armor in the temple of Astarte,#31.10 Heb plural and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11#1 Sam 11.3, 9, 11But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12#2 Sam 2.4–7; 2 Chr 16.14all the valiant men set out, traveled all night long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13#1 Sam 22.6; 2 Sam 1.12; 21.12–14Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

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1 Samuel 31: NRSVUE

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