Saul’s Overthrow and Death 1Then the Philistims fought against Israel: & the men of Israel fled before the Philistims, and fell downe slaine in mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistims pursued after Saul and after his sonnes, & the Philistims smote Ionathan, and Abinadab, & Malchishua the sonnes of Saul. 3And the battel was sore against Saul; and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. 4Then sayde Saul to his armour bearer, Drawe out thy sworde, and thrust me thorowe therewith, lest these vncircumcised come and mocke at me: but his armour bearer would not, for he was sore afraid: therefore Saul tooke the sword and fell vpon it. 5And when his armour bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise vpon the sworde, and dyed. 6So Saul dyed and his three sonnes, and all his house, they dyed together. The Philistines Possess the Towns 7And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley, sawe how they fledde, and that Saul and his sonnes were dead, they forsooke their cities, and fled away, and the Philistims came, and dwelt in them. 8And on the morrowe when the Philistims came to spoyle them that were slaine, they found Saul and his sonnes lying in mount Gilboa. 9And when they had stript him, they tooke his head and his armour, and sent them into the land of the Philistims round about, to publish it vnto their idoles, and to the people. 10And they layd vp his armour in the house of their god, and set vp his head in the house of Dagon. Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul 11When all they of Iabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistims had done to Saul, 12Then they arose (all the valiant men) and tooke the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sonnes, and brought them to Iabesh, and buryed the bones of them vnder an oke in Iabesh, and fasted seuen dayes. 13So Saul dyed for his transgression, that he committed against the Lord, euen against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and in that he sought & asked counsel of a familiar spirit, 14And asked not of the Lorde: therefore he slewe him, and turned the kingdome vnto Dauid the sonne of Ishai. |