Saul’s Overthrow and Death
Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
And the Philistines pressed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
And the battle grew heavy against Saul, and the archers with the bow found him; and he was pierced by the archers.
And Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised will come and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer was not willing, for he was very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.
And his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead; and he too fell on the sword, and died.
So Saul died, and his three sons; and all his house died together.
The Philistines Possess the Towns
And 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 lived in them.
And it was the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
And they stripped him, and carried off his head and his armor; and they sent word through the land of the Philistines all around, to bring the news to their idols, and to the people.
And they put his armor in the house of their gods; and his skull they fastened up in the house of Dagon.
Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul
And all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul.
And every man of valor rose, and they carried off the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh; and they buried their bones under the terebinth in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
So Saul died for his unfaithfulness — how he broke faith with the LORD over the word of the LORD that he did not keep, and also for asking counsel of a spirit of the dead, to seek guidance;
and he did not seek the LORD. And he put him to death, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.