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YLT

1 Samuel Chapter 31 (YLT)

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1 Samuel 31: Saul Dies at Gilboa
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1 And the Philistines are fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel flee from the face of the Philistines, and fall wounded in mount Gilboa,

2 and the Philistines follow Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smite Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, sons of Saul.

3 And the battle is hard against Saul, and the archers find him -- men with bow -- and he is pained greatly by the archers;

4 and Saul saith to the bearer of his weapons, `Draw thy sword, and pierce me with it, lest they come -- these uncircumcised -- and have pierced me, and rolled themselves on me;' and the bearer of his weapons hath not been willing, for he is greatly afraid, and Saul taketh the sword, and falleth upon it.

5 And the bearer of his weapons seeth that Saul `is' dead, and he falleth -- he also -- on his sword, and dieth with him;

6 and Saul dieth, and three of his sons, and the bearer of his weapons, also all his men, on that day together.

7 And they see -- the men of Israel, who `are' beyond the valley, and who `are' beyond the Jordan -- that the men of Israel have fled, and that Saul and his sons have died, and they forsake the cities and flee, and Philistines come in, and dwell in them.

8 And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that the Philistines come to strip the wounded, and they find Saul and his three sons fallen on mount Gilboa,

9 and they cut off his head, and strip off his weapons, and send into the land of the Philistines round about, to proclaim tidings `in' the house of their idols, and `among' the people;

10 and they place his weapons `in' the house of Ashtaroth, and his body they have fixed on the wall of Beth-Shan.

11 And they hear regarding it -- the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead -- that which the Philistines have done to Saul,

12 and all the men of valour arise, and go all the night, and take the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, from the wall of Beth-Shan, and come in to Jabesh, and burn them there,

13 and they take their bones, and bury `them' under the tamarisk in Jabesh, and fast 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

A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.

John 16:16 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

The Philistines fasten Saul's body to the wall of Bethshan, but the men of Jabeshgilead make a night march to retrieve and honorably bury the bodies of Saul and his sons. A parallel account of these events appears in 1 Chronicles 10:1-12.