God's New Revelations

The First Book of Samuel

Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic

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- Chapter 31 -

(2 Samuel 1:1–16; 1 Chronicles 10:1–6)
1
Later, the Philistines again fought against the Israelites. The Israelites ran away from them, and many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa.
2
The Philistines caught up with Saul and his three sons, and they killed three of his sons, Jonathan and Abinadab and MalkiShua.
3
The fighting was very fierce around Saul. When the Philistine archers caught up with Saul, they wounded him badly with their arrows.
4
Saul said to the man who was carrying his weapons, “Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to thrust their swords into me and make fun of me while I am dying.” But the man who was carrying Saul’s weapons was terrified, and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. The sword pierced his body, and he died.
5
When the man carrying his weapons saw that Saul was dead, he also threw himself on his own sword and died.
6
So Saul, three of his sons, and the man who carried Saul’s weapons, all died on that same day.

The Philistines Possess the Towns

(1 Chronicles 10:7–10)
7
When the Israelite people on the north side of the Valley of Jezreel and on the east side of the Jordan River heard that the Israelite army had run away and that Saul and his sons had died, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
8
The next day, when the Philistines came to take away the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa.
9
They cut off Saul’s head and took his weapons. Then they sent messengers throughout their land to proclaim the news in the temples, where they kept their idols, and to the other people, that their army had defeated the Israelites.
10
They put Saul’s weapons in the temple of their goddess Asherah. They also fastened the bodies of Saul and his sons to the wall that surrounded the city of Beth Shan.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

(1 Chronicles 10:11–14)
11
When the people who lived in Jabesh in the region of Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul’s corpse,
12
all their bravest soldiers walked all night to Beth Shan. They took the corpses of Saul and his sons down from the city wall, and they took them back to Jabesh and burned the corpses there.
13
They took the bones and buried them under a big tamarisk tree. Then they fasted for seven days.
(2 Samuel 1:1–16; 1 Chronicles 10:1–6)
1
Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.
2
The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
3
The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
4
Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me!” But his armor bearer would not, for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.
5
When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword, and died with him.
6
So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men that same day together.

The Philistines Possess the Towns

(1 Chronicles 10:7–10)
7
When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.
8
On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9
They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to the house of their idols and to the people.
10
They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

(1 Chronicles 10:11–14)
11
When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12
all the valiant men arose, went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
13
They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk(a) tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Footnotes

(a)31:13 or, salt cedar