1Now the Philistines <06430> were fighting <03898> against Israel <03478>. The men <0376> of Israel <03478> fled <05127> from <06440> the Philistines <06430> and many of them fell <05307> dead <02491> on Mount <02022> Gilboa <01533>.
2The Philistines <06430> stayed <01692> right on the heels of Saul <07586> and his sons <01121>. They <06430> struck down <05221> Saul’s <07586> sons <01121> Jonathan <03083>, Abinadab <041>, and Malki-Shua <04444>.
3Saul <07586> himself was in the thick <03513> of the battle <04421>; the archers <07198> <0582> <03384> spotted <04672> him and wounded <02342> him severely <03966>.
4Saul <07586> said <0559> to his armor <03627> bearer <05375>, “Draw <08025> your sword <02719> and stab <01856> me with it! Otherwise <06435> these <0428> uncircumcised people <06189> will come <0935>, stab <01856> me, and torture <05953> me.” But his armor <03627> bearer <05375> refused <014> <03808> to do it, because <03588> he was very <03966> afraid <03372>. So Saul <07586> took <03947> his sword <02719> and fell <05307> on <05921> it.
5When his armor <03627> bearer <05375> saw <07200> that <03588> Saul <07586> was dead <04191>, he <01931> also <01571> fell <05307> on <05921> his own sword <02719> and died <04191> with <05973> him.
6So Saul <07586>, his three <07969> sons <01121>, his armor <03627> bearer <05375>, and <01571> all <03605> his men <0376> died <04191> together <03162> that <01931> day <03117>.
7When <07200> the men <0376> of Israel <03478> who <0834> were in the valley <06010> and across <05676> the Jordan <03383> saw that <03588> the men <0376> of Israel <03478> had fled <05127> and that <03588> Saul <07586> and his sons <01121> were dead <04191>, they abandoned <05800> the cities <05892> and fled <05127>. The Philistines <06430> came <0935> and occupied <03427> them.
8The next day <04283>, when the Philistines <06430> came <0935> to strip <06584> loot from the corpses <02491>, they discovered <04672> Saul <07586> and his three <07969> sons <01121> lying dead <05307> on Mount <02022> Gilboa <01533>.
9They cut off <03772> Saul’s head <07218> and stripped <06584> him of his armor <03627>. They sent <07971> messengers to announce <01319> the news in the temple <01004> of their idols <06091> and among their people <05971> throughout the surrounding <05439> land <0776> of the Philistines <06430>.
10They placed <07760> Saul’s armor <03627> in the temple <01004> of the Ashtoreths <06252> and hung <08628> his corpse <01472> on the city wall <02346> of Beth Shan <01052>.
11When the residents <03427> of Jabesh <03003> Gilead <01568> heard <08085> what <0834> the Philistines <06430> had done <06213> to Saul <07586>,
12all <03605> their warriors <02428> <0376> set out <06965> and traveled <01980> throughout <03605> the night <03915>. They took <03947> Saul’s <07586> corpse <01472> and the corpses <01472> of his sons <01121> from the city wall <02346> of Beth Shan <01052> and went <0935> to Jabesh <03003>, where <08033> they burned <08313> them.
13They took <03947> the bones <06106> and buried <06912> them under <08478> the tamarisk tree <0815> at Jabesh <03003>; then they fasted <06684> for seven <07651> days <03117>.