1 Samuel

31 Now as the Philistines were fighting against Israel, the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain in Mount Gilboa.

2 And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons,—and the Philistines smote Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, sons of Saul.

3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers discovered him,—and he was terrified at the archers.

4 Then said Saul to his armourbearer—Draw thy sword and pierce me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and pierce me through and abuse me. But his armourbearer was not willing for he was sore afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell thereon.

5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.

6 Thus died Saul and his three sons and his armourbearer, yea all his men on that day together.

7 And when the men of Israel who were across the vale and who were across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled, and the Philistines entered and took up their abode therein.

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, lying prostrate in Mount Gilboa.

9 So they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour,—and sent throughout the land of the Philistines round about to publish it in the house of their idols and unto the people.

10 And they put his armour in a house of Ashtoreths,—and his dead body fastened they on the wall of Beth-shan.

11 And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him what the Philistines had done unto Saul,

12 then arose all the men of valour and journeyed all the night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, from the wall of Beth-shan,—and came to Jabesh, and burned them there;

13 and took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh,—and fasted seven days.