1: Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and
the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount
Gilboa.
2: And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his
sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's
sons.
3: And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit
him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4: Then said Saul unto
his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these
uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer
would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon
it.
5: And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell
likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6: So Saul died, and his
three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
7: And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the
valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel
fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled;
and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8: And it came to pass on
the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul
and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9: And they cut off his
head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines
round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.
10: And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they
fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11: And when the
inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to
Saul;
12: All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the
body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to
Jabesh, and burnt them there.
13: And they took their bones, and
buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
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