The Death of Saul and His Sons
1The Philistines fought against Israel,31:1–13 2Sm 1:12; 1Ch 10:1–12 and Israel’s men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gilboa.31:1 1Sm 28:4
2The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
3When the battle intensified against Saul,31:3 2Sm 1:6 the archers found him and severely wounded him.31:3 LXX reads and he was wounded under the ribs
4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer,31:4 Jdg 9:54 “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men31:4 Jdg 14:3 will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.31:4 2Sm 1:6,10
5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him.
6So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.
7When the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and on the other side of the Jordan saw that Israel’s men had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.
8The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.
9They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news31:9 2Sm 1:20 in the temples of their idols31:9 Jdg 16:23–24 and among the people.
11When the residents of Jabesh-gilead31:11 1Sm 11:1–13 heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
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