1 ¶ Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell down slain on mount Gilboa.

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

3 And the battle went hard against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers.

4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it; lest these uncircumcised come and make sport of me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was terrified. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

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

6 So Saul, and his three sons, and his entire house died together.

7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and lived in them.

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

9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armor, and sent them into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to their idols, and to the people.

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

11 But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

12 All the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he did not keep, and also for consulting one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;

14 And did not inquire of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.