1Samuel 31:12 - Prayer Tents

1Samuel 31

Saul and Jonathan, Dead on the Mountain

31The Philistines made war on Israel. The men of Israel were in full retreat from the Philistines, falling left and right, wounded on Mount Gilboa.H6430H3898H3478H582H3478H5127H6440H6430H5307H2491H2022H15332The Philistines caught up with Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, Saul's sons.H6430H1692H7586H1121H6430H5221H3083H41H4444H7586H11213The battle was hot and heavy around Saul. The archers got his range and wounded him badly.H4421H3513H7586H3384H582H7198H4672H3966H2342H3384H582H71984Saul said to his weapon bearer, "Draw your sword and put me out of my misery, lest these pagan pigs come and make a game out of killing me." But his weapon bearer wouldn't do it. He was terrified. So Saul took the sword himself and fell on it.H559H7586H5375H3627H8025H2719H1856H6189H935H1856H5953H5375H3627H14H3966H3372H7586H3947H2719H53075When the weapon bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.H5375H3627H7200H7586H4191H5307H2719H41916So Saul, his three sons, and his weapon bearer—the men closest to him—died together that day.H7586H4191H7969H1121H5375H3627H582H3117H31627When the Israelites in the valley opposite and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that their army was in full retreat and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran for their lives. The Philistines moved in and occupied the sites.H582H3478H5676H6010H5676H3383H7200H582H3478H5127H7586H1121H4191H5800H5892H5127H6430H935H34278The next day, when the Philistines came to rob the dead, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.H4283H6430H935H6584H2491H4672H7586H7969H1121H5307H2022H15339They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor. Then they spread the good news all through Philistine country in the shrines of their idols and among the people.H3772H7218H6584H3627H7971H776H6430H5439H1319H1004H6091H597110They displayed his armor in the shrine of the Ashtoreth. They nailed his corpse to the wall at Beth Shan.H7760H3627H1004H6252H1045H8628H1472H2346H105211The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.H3427H3003H1568H8085H6430H6213H758612Their valiant men sprang into action. They traveled all night, took the corpses of Saul and his three sons from the wall at Beth Shan, and carried them back to Jabesh and burned off the flesh.H2428H376H381H6965H3212H3915H3947H1472H7586H1472H1121H2346H1052H935H3003H831313They then buried the bones under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted in mourning for seven days.H3947H6106H6912H815H3003H6684H7651H3117