1 Chronicles 10

Saul’s Last Battle

1 Israel got into it heavy with the Philistines. Israel’s soldiers ran, got chased down, and died all over Mount Gilboa.

2 The Philistines caught up with Saul and his sons. They killed all three of his boys, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, right there in the heat of battle.

3 The fight came straight to Saul. Archers spotted him and hit him bad with arrows, he was wounded and bleeding out.

4 Saul turned to his armor-bearer and said, “Pull your sword, man, and finish me off before these uncircumcised fools get me, abuse me, and make a mockery.” But his armor-bearer froze, scared to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

5 When the armor-bearer saw Saul was dead, he did the same, fell on his sword too and died with his king.

6 So Saul, his three sons, and everyone in his royal house died that day, wiped out.

Israel Defeated and Humiliated

7 When the Israelites living near the valley saw that the army ran and Saul was dead, they bounced, abandoned their cities. The Philistines moved In and took over.

8 The next day, the Philistines came back to strip the dead. They found Saul and his sons lying lifeless on Mount Gilboa.

9 They stripped Saul, cut off his head, and took his armor. Then they sent messengers through Philistine territory, spreading the news in their idol temples and to their people, like it was a win for their fake gods.

10 They put Saul’s armor in the temple of their gods and nailed his skull to the temple wall of Dagon, their so-called god.

Saul Buried by Brave Men

11 But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines did to Saul,

12 All the mighty men of that city rolled out. They grabbed Saul’s body and the bodies of his sons and brought them back. They buried them under a big oak tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days straight, showing respect and mourning.

Why Saul Died

13 Saul died because he was not loyal to the Lord. He disobeyed God’s Word and even went to consult with a medium, looking for answers from the dead.

14 He did not seek the Lord, so God took the kingdom from him and handed it over to David, son of Jesse.