1. Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.
2. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.
3. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.
4. Saul said to his armour-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.’But the armour-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5. When the armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.
6. So Saul and his three sons and his armour-bearer and all his men died together that same day.
7. When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.
8. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9. They cut off his head and stripped off his armour, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.
10. They put his armour in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
11. When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12. all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.
13. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.Footnotes for the Book of 1 Samuela 1 Horn here symbolises strength; also in verse 10.b 17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text peoplec 20 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text and asked fromd 25 Or the judgese 29 The Hebrew is plural.a 7 Or ‘Gods have (see Septuagint)b 18 Traditionally judgedc 21 Ichabod means no glory.a 19 A few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint 50,070a 1 Traditionally judgesb 5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20c 16 Septuagint; Hebrew young mena 1 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate over his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance:a 11 Also called Gideonb 11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedanc 11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samsona 14 Or about 2,000 square metresb 15 Or a terrible panicc 18 Hebrew; Septuagint ‘Bring the ephod.’ (At that time he wore the ephod before the Israelites.)d 27 Or his strength was renewed; similarly in verse 29e 41 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have ‘Why … at fault.f 47 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint kingg 47 Hebrew; Septuagint he was victoriousa 14 Or and a harmful; similarly in verses 15, 16 and 23a 10 Or a harmfulb 19 Or However,a 25 Septuagint; Hebrew wall. Jonathan aroseb 42 In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.a 15 Or he was afraid becauseb 28 Sela Hammahlekoth means rock of parting.c 29 In Hebrew texts this verse (23:29) is numbered 24:1.a 1 Hebrew and some Septuagint manuscripts; other Septuagint manuscripts Maonb 18 That is, probably about 27 kilogramsc 22 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew with David’s enemiesd 44 Hebrew Palti, a variant of Paltiel