1The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and the slain fell on Mount Gilboa.2The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.3The warfare grew heavy upon Saul, and the archers found him with the bow, and he was afraid of the shooters.4Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised ones come and abuse me." But his armor-bearer refused, for he was very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.5When Saul's armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died.6Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.7All the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, so they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and dwelt in them.8The next day the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.9They stripped him and took his head and his gear, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news to their idols and to the people.10They put his weapons in the house of their god, and fastened his skull in the house of Dagon.11All Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul.12All the valiant men arose, and they carried the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and they brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the terebinth tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.13Saul died for his transgression in which he transgressed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep, and also because he inquired of a familiar spirit.14He did not seek the LORD, so he put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.