1The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and the slain fell on Mount Gilboa.2The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.3The battle grew heavy against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.4Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised ones come and thrust me through and abuse me." But his armor-bearer refused, for he was very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell upon it.5When Saul's armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.6Saul died, and his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men, all together on that day.7When the men of Israel who were across the valley and across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and dwelt in them.8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.9They cut off his head, stripped his gear, and sent it throughout the land of the Philistines all around to proclaim it in the temples of their idols and to the people.10They put his weapons in the house of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.11The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.12All the brave men got up and traveled all night. They took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, came to Jabesh, and burned them there.13They took their bones and buried them under the terebinth tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.