1. Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2. The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchi-shua.
3. The battle raged around Saul and the archers spotted him and he was wounded by the archers.
4. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, so that these uncircumcised will not come and torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused to do it, because he was terrified. Therefore Saul took the sword and fell on it.
5. When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died.
6. So Saul and his three sons died; his whole household died together.
7. Now when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. The Philistines then came and lived in them.
8. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9. They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines proclaiming the good news to their idols and to the people.