Saul takes his life

1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.

2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

4 Saul said to his armour-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.’

But the armour-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

5 When the armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.

6 So Saul and his three sons and his armour-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

7 When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armour, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.

10 They put his armour in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

11 When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12 all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.

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

Footnotes for the Book of 1 Samuel

a1Hornhere symbolises strength; also in verse 10.

b17Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Textpeople

c20Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Textand asked from

d25Orthe judges

e29The Hebrew is plural.

a7Or‘Gods have(see Septuagint)

b18Traditionallyjudged

c21Ichabodmeansno glory.

a19A few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint50,070

a1Traditionallyjudges

b5Traditionallyjudge; also in verses 6 and 20

c16Septuagint; Hebrewyoung men

a1Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgateover his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance:

a11Also calledGideon

b11Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; HebrewBedan

c11Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and SyriacSamson

a14Orabout 2,000 square metres

b15Ora terrible panic

c18Hebrew; Septuagint‘Bring the ephod.’ (At that time he wore the ephod before the Israelites.)

d27Orhis strength was renewed; similarly in verse 29

e41Septuagint; Hebrew does not have‘Why … at fault.

f47Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagintking

g47Hebrew; Septuaginthe was victorious

a14Orand a harmful; similarly in verses 15, 16 and 23

a10Ora harmful

b19OrHowever,

a25Septuagint; Hebrewwall. Jonathan arose

b42In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.

a15Orhe was afraid because

b28Sela Hammahlekothmeansrock of parting.

c29In Hebrew texts this verse (23:29) is numbered 24:1.

a1Hebrew and some Septuagint manuscripts; other Septuagint manuscriptsMaon

b18That is, probably about 27 kilograms

c22Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrewwith David’s enemies

d44HebrewPalti, a variant ofPaltiel

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