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Saul’s Overthrow and Death

Verse1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

Verse2The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

Verse3When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.

Verse4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

Verse5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died.

Verse6So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.

The Philistines Possess the Towns

Verse7When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.

Verse8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

Verse9They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.

Verse10They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

Verse11When all the people of Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

Verse12all their men of valor set out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

Verse13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,

Verse14and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.