1 Samuel 31

The Death of Saul and His Sons

1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilbo'a. 2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abin'adab and Mal'chishu'a, the sons of Saul. 3The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it. 5And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died with him. 6Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8On the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilbo'a. 9And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to their idolsa and to the people. 10They put his armor in the temple of Ash'taroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11But when the inhabitants of Ja'besh-gil'ead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all 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 they came to Jabesh and burnt them there. 13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.