1The Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the face of the Philistines, and fell slain on the mountain of Gilboa.
2The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malki-shua, the sons of Saul.
3The battle grew heavy against Saul, and those who shoot, men with the bow, found him, and he writhed exceedingly because of those who shoot.
4Saul said to his weapon-bearer, "Draw out your sword and pierce me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and pierce me through and maltreat me." But his weapon-bearer was not willing, for he was exceedingly afraid; so Saul took the sword and fell upon it.
5When his weapon-bearer saw that Saul had died, he too fell upon his sword and died with him.
6So Saul died, and his three sons, and his weapon-bearer, also all his men, on that day together.
7The men of Israel who were on the opposite side of the valley and on the opposite side of the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died; they abandoned the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelled in them.
8It was on the next day that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on the mountain of Gilboa.
9They cut off his head, stripped off his weapons, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around to bear the news to the house of their idols and to the people.
10They put his weapons in the house of Ashtaroth, and they thrust his corpse onto the wall of Beth-shan.
11Those who dwelled in Jabesh of Gilead heard about him—about what the Philistines had done to Saul.
12Every man of strength rose up and went all the night, and took the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh and burned them there.
13They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.