First Samuel Chapter 31 1 The Philistines fought against Israel. And the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down wounded in Mount Gilboa.2 The Philistines followed Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, Saul's sons.3 The battle went hard against Saul. And the archers hit him, and he was sorely wounded by the archers.4 Saul said to his armor bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through with it lest these uncircumcised ones come and thrust me through and abuse me. But his armor bearer would not for he was very afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell on it.5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.6 So Saul died and his three sons and his armor bearer and all his men all died together that same day.7 The men of Israel beyond the valley, and who were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons had died. They abandoned the cities and fled and the Philistines came and lived in them.8 On the next day, the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people.10 They put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.11 When the people of Jabeshgilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,12 all the brave men rose and traveled all night. They took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan and went to Jabesh and burned them there.13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh and fasted seven days.
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