1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2And the Philistines pressed hard after Saul and after his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
3The battle grew heavy against Saul, and the archers found him with the bow, and he was wounded by the archers.
4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, lest these uncircumcised ones come and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was not willing, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.
5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on the sword and died.
6So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.
7When 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 cities and fled; and the Philistines came and settled in them.
8It happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9They stripped him and carried off his head and his armor, and they sent word throughout the land of the Philistines all around, to bring the news to their idols and to the people.
10They put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his skull in the house of Dagon.
11When all Jabesh-gilead heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul,
12all the valiant men arose and carried off the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness that he committed against Yahweh, concerning the word of Yahweh that he did not keep, and also for consulting a medium to inquire,
14and he did not inquire of Yahweh. So He put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
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