1 Samuel 31 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

The Tragic End of Saul and His Sons

The Death of Saul and His Sons

(1 Chr. 10:1–14 )

1Sa 31:1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

1Sa 31:2

1Sa 31:2Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.

1Sa 31:3

1Sa 31:3The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

1Sa 31:4

1Sa 31:4Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.

1Sa 31:5

1Sa 31:5And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him.

1Sa 31:6

1Sa 31:6So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

1Sa 31:7

1Sa 31:7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

1Sa 31:8

1Sa 31:8So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

1Sa 31:9

1Sa 31:9And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people.

1Sa 31:10

1Sa 31:10Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.[fn]

1Sa 31:11

1Sa 31:11Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

1Sa 31:12

1Sa 31:12all the valiant men arose and traveled 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.

1Sa 31:13

1Sa 31:13Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NKJV Footnotes

(31:10)

Spelled Beth Shean in Joshua 17:11 and elsewhere

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For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.