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1 Samuel Chapter 31 (KJVA)

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1 Samuel Chapter 31 (KJVA)
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1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.

2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi–shua, Saul’s sons.

3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

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

8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth–shan.

11 And when the inhabitants of Jabesh–gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;

12 All 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 came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.

13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Saul die in 1 Samuel 31?
Wounded by Philistine archers on Mount Gilboa and fearing abuse if captured, Saul asks his armorbearer to kill him; when the man refuses, Saul falls on his own sword, and his armorbearer follows him in death (v.3-5), closing out the story that began with the crisis at Ziklag in 1 Samuel 30.
What do the Philistines do with Saul's body?
They cut off Saul's head, strip his armor to display in the temple of their idols, and fasten his body to the wall of Bethshan as a trophy of victory (v.9-10).
How do the people of Jabeshgilead honor Saul?
Remembering how Saul had once rescued their city from the Ammonites, the valiant men of Jabeshgilead travel all night to retrieve Saul's and his sons' bodies from the wall, burn them, and bury their bones, fasting seven days in mourning (v.11-13). The same events are retold from a slightly different angle in 1 Chronicles 10:1-12.

Today's Verse

Yonder is the sea, great and wide, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts.

Psalms 104:25 | ASV

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