1 Chronicles 10

Modern

Literal

Saul’s Overthrow and Death

¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

¹And the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

²The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

²And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

³When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.

³And the battle was heavy against Saul, and those shooting with the bow found him, and he was wounded by those shooting.

⁴Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

⁴And Saul said to the bearer of his armor, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me.” And the bearer of his armor was not willing, for he was exceedingly afraid. And Saul took a sword and fell on it.

⁵When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died.

⁵And the bearer of his armor saw that Saul was dead, and he fell himself likewise on the sword, and he died.

⁶So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.

⁶And Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house—they died together.

The Philistines Possess the Towns

⁷When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.

⁷And all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, and they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

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

⁸And it came to pass the next day that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

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

⁹And they stripped him and lifted up his head, and his armor, and they sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to proclaim tidings to their idols and the people.

¹⁰They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.

¹⁰And they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and his head they fastened in the house of Dagon.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

¹¹When all the people of Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹¹And all Jabesh-gilead heard of all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹²all their men of valor set out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak^a in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

¹²and all the men of valor arose and lifted up the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and they brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

¹³So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,

¹³And Saul died for his unfaithfulness that he trespassed against YHWH, against the word of YHWH, because he did not keep it, and also because he consulted a medium to inquire.

¹⁴and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

¹⁴He inquired not of YHWH. And He killed him and turned over the kingdom to David son of Jesse.